The Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers will both be playing the second leg of a back-to-back when the two teams meet at the Staples Center on Monday night.
The Bulls are coming off a hard-fought win over the Clippers as four-point underdogs, while the Lakers were able to defeat the Spurs as two-point favorites. Can the Bulls end their West Coast road trip on a high note, or will the Lakers win for the fourth time in five games? All without LeBron of course.
Find out in our free picks and predictions for Bulls vs. Lakers on November 15.
Bulls vs Lakers odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
This line has bounced back-and-forth between 1 and 1.5, with the Bulls listed as slight road favorites. The total hit the board at 218.5 and has been bet down to 216.5. Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Bulls vs Lakers predictions
Predictions made on 11/15/2021 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Bulls vs Lakers game info
• Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Date: Monday, November 15, 2021
• Tip-off: 10:30 p.m. ET
• TV: NBA TV, SportsNet LA, NBC Chicago
Bulls vs Lakers betting preview
Injuries
Bulls: Nikola Vucevic C (Out).
Lakers: LeBron James SF (Questionable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Lakers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games vs. a team with a winning straight-up record. Find more NBA betting trends for Bulls vs. Lakers.
Bulls vs Lakers picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Bulls core of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Lonzo Ball has been one of the most exciting in the NBA through the early part of the season. Chicago has gotten out to an excellent 9-4 start thanks to its efforts at both ends of the floor.
The Bulls head into this game ranked 13th in offensive rating, fifth in defensive rating and sixth in the NBA in net rating. On offense, they rank eighth in true shooting percentage and seventh in three-point shooting percentage. They go up against what has been a middling Lakers defense to this point that ranks 12th in defensive rating.
But what could really hold the Lakers back in this matchup is their offense. The Purple and Gold just haven’t found any chemistry with Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis leading the way. As a result, the Lakers rank 23rd in offensive rating.
The Lakers should look to work Davis inside with Vucevic out but the offense has been inefficient and unpredictable outside of AD. On top of that, the Lakers rank 27th in turnover percentage, going against a Bulls team that loves to get out and run in transition.
Additionally, while the home team sometimes has the edge in the back-to-back scenario, this game is unique as both teams played at the Staples Center yesterday, so the Bulls didn’t have to travel.
Expect the Bulls to create more scoring opportunities off turnovers than the Lakers and use that stout defense to show the flaws in the Lakers' offense.
Prediction: Bulls -1 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
When it comes to the total, the early money has been on the Under, but we’ve actually got a strong lean the other way.
For starters, while the Lakers' defense has been so-so this season, they play at a very high pace. The third highest pace in the NBA in fact and as a result of all those extra possessions, the Lakers rank 28th in opponent scoring, surrendering 111.9 points per contest.
And we already mentioned, the Lakers love to turn over the ball. Well, the Bulls rank 10th in steals and ninth in fast-break points per game.
While we noted the Bulls rank fifth in defensive rating, they allow opponents to shoot 35.9 percent from 3-point range this season. That ranks 24th in the NBA and they are going up against a Lakers team that ranks sixth in 3-point shooting percentage and includes sharpshooters like Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington, and Malik Monk.
This game has sneaky-good shootout written all over it.
Prediction: Over 216.5 (-110)
Best bet
This game should have a great pace with two teams who love to get out and run.
The Bull's talented core should create turnovers on defense and Lavine and DeRozan should do their thing. They also get some reinforcements as Coby White makes his season debut. The Lakers, on the other hand, should work Davis on the inside with Vucevic out and will try to punish the Bulls with transition threes.
Plus, one thing that tends to happen in the second half of back-to-backs is legs get heavy. And one place you see the diminished effort is when it comes to closing out shooters on the perimeter.
We're betting on fastbreak points and a barrage of threes to take this game Over the total.
Pick: Over 216.5 (-110)
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