Los Angeles @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 21, 2017 ) Chicago 94, L.A. Lakers 103

The Los Angeles Lakers have been dominant at home lately and will try to carry that success into a five-game road trip that begins Friday at the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers held on to top the Boston Celtics 108-107 on Tuesday to run their home winning streak to six games and improve to 7-2 overall since a nine-game losing slide.

Rookie Kyle Kuzma scored 17 of his 28 points in a tense fourth quarter to help Los Angeles knock off the Eastern Conference leaders. "I just felt like every time I touched it I was trying to score it," said Kuzma, who lifted his team-leading scoring average to 16.7. "I was in a good rhythm and they went in." The Bulls didn't have much rhythm in a 115-101 loss to Philadelphia on Wednesday, scoring just 41 points in the first half in the finale of a 1-2 road trip. Bobby Portis had 22 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for Chicago, which fell at Los Angeles earlier this season.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles), NBCS Chicago

ABOUT THE LAKERS (18-29): Kuzma's fourth quarter was the highest-scoring period for a Laker this season and 13 of the 17 points came in just over three minutes of a blistering stretch that gave his team the lead. "He was out there just not thinking about anything," teammate Julius Randle told reporters. "Just playing hard, playing without a conscience. He was big time for us today." Jordan Clarkson added 22 points and Randle finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds for his sixth double-double this month.

ABOUT THE BULLS (18-30): Portis and Zach LaVine (21 points) combined to make 16-of-27 shots against the 76ers while their teammates were 20-for-67 from the field - including 7-for-30 from 3-point range - two days after a double-overtime loss in New Orleans. "There was probably a little hangover from that game, but you can't let it affect the way you play," coach Fred Hoiberg told the media. "I don't think we came out with any grit, toughness tonight. It just kind of became 'my-turn shot.' A guy took a bad one and he said, 'Well, if he's going to take a bad one, I'm going to take a bad one.' It just kind of trickled down." Point guard Kris Dunn has missed three straight games since sustaining a concussion in a nasty fall last week.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Kuzma scored 22 points and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope recorded 21 in the win over Chicago in the first meeting.

2. Bulls PG Jerian Grant is 5-of-7 on 3-pointers while starting the last three games in place of Dunn.

3. Lakers PG Lonzo Ball (knee) has missed five consecutive contests.

PREDICTION: Bulls 108, Lakers 106