Bulls vs Lakers Prediction: November 15, 2021

Week 5 of the 2021-22 NBA season tips off Monday, November 15, with 11 games around the Association, including the interconference battle at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The 9-4 Bulls meet the 8-6 Lakers for the first time this season, and LA will aim for its ninth consecutive victory over Chicago. The hosts are listed as small underdogs, as they miss LeBron James, who’s still recovering from an abdomen injury, while the visitors have some serious selection problems as well.    

This game will be played at 10:30 PM ET at Staples Center

Why bet the Lakers:

✅ - The Bulls’ interior defense has done a good job thus far, allowing just 43.2 points in the paint per game (tied-6th in the NBA). This time around, Chicago has to deal with one of the best big men in the league, and slowing down Anthony Davis will be a difficult task. Keep in mind that Chicago misses Nikola Vucevic (COVID-19) and Patrick Williams (wrist), so the Bulls’ frontcourt is quite short-handed. Last night, Anthony Davis bullied the San Antonio Spurs, finishing with 34 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists. The Brow is averaging 24.5 points and 11.3 boards per game while shooting 50.6% from the field, and the Bulls could have a long day in the office if Davis put on another strong performance. 

✅ - Without Nikola Vucevic and Patrick Williams, the Bulls lack big bodies, so they’ll have to double-team Anthony Davis a lot in this matchup. That will lead to open 3-pointers for the Lakers, who went 15-for-31 from beyond the arc in a 114-106 victory to San Antonio last night. Wayne Ellington made five of his seven 3-point attempts, while Davis and Carmelo Anthony went 2-for-3 from downtown each. The Lakers rank sixth in the league in a 3-point percentage (36.4%). On the other side, the Bulls are 24th in the opponent 3-point percentage (35.9%). 

✅ - As we’ve mentioned above, the Bulls are winless in eight straight meetings with the Lakers, going 2-5-1 ATS in the process. Also, the Lakers have won ten of their previous 14 home encounters with the Bulls, including the last three. We saw a great battle in their last season’s duel at Staples Center, when the Lakers barely outlasted the Bulls as 8.5-point favorites, 117-115.

When making predictions on Bulls vs Lakers matchups, bettors have a lot to think about. From scheduling spots to on-court matchups, bettors have to be on their game to win when betting on the NBA. This applies to the three main NBA betting markets: the point spread, total and moneyline.

Bulls vs Lakers Against the Spread Predictions

Point spread betting requires bettors to predict who is going to win and by how much they are going to win. Here, favored teams have points taken off of their total score, while underdogs have points added to their final number. Here, bettors have to understand the tendencies of the Bulls and Lakers to determine the final margin of victory.

Lakers vs Bulls Over/Under Betting

The over/under is all about how many points are going to be scored when the Lakers and Bulls go at it. Bettors are required to predict whether the combined score of both teams will be over or under the amount that sportsbooks have listed. A look at advanced metrics like true shooting percentage and pace are helpful when making these determinations.

Bulls vs Lakers Moneyline Predictions

Betting on the moneyline requires bettors to simply pick the winner of the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls. There is no such thing as a sure victory in the NBA, but bettors have the option to wager on either the favored team or the underdog to win straight up when these two teams get together.

Bettors should constantly monitor the odds before betting on Bulls vs Lakers games. The odds regularly change for a number of reasons from when they are first posted to when a basketball game starts. It is up to bettors to understand why and to get the best odds they can to maximize profitability.

Bettors who want to watch the Bulls and Lakers go at it on the basketball court are able to do so through several live streaming platforms. Bettors can use services like YouTube TV and Hulu to watch live basketball games throughout the season. And NBA League Pass is also an option for fans who want a basketball-specific option.