REX CHAPMAN’S Prediction Contest: Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Lakers (GRAND PRIZE: $100 Amazon gift card!)
UPDATE: THE WINNER OF THE $100 AMAZON GIFT CARD IS char******@yahoo.com CONGRATULATIONS!
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Prize:
1st Place: $100 Amazon gift card
Top winner 🙌🏾
#1. charrel***@yahoo.com (500 PTS)
Overview:
On Tuesday, November 21st, the (3-10) Chicago Bulls will be on the road to take on the (6-10) Los Angeles Lakers.
The Crowd:
“The Crowd” is projecting a final score of Lakers 101.3 – Bulls 93.3 with an over/under of 194.7.
Statistics (2017-18 season):
Point differential: Lakers -3.1 (25th) > Bulls -9.4 (29th)
Points per game: Lakers 104.3 (18th) > Bulls 94.8 (29th)
Points allowed per game: Bulls 104.2 (10th) > Lakers 107.4 (22nd)
Field Goal Percentage Offense: Lakers 45.2% (17th) > Bulls 41.4% (30th)
Three Point Percentage: Bulls 33.7% (27th) > Lakers 28.7% (30th)
Field Goal Percentage Defense: Lakers 44.7% (10th) > Bulls 46.1% (18th)
Turnovers committed per game: Bulls 14.2 (10th) > Lakers 17.2 (29th)
Turnovers forced per game: Lakers 15.1 (13th) > Bulls 13.0 (29th)
Rebounds per game: Lakers 47.6 (3rd) > Bulls 44.3 (14th)
Assists per game: Bulls 21.8 (16th) > Lakers 21.6 (19th)
Summary:
The Bulls (3-10) have gotten off to a rough start this season but that was to be expected when they gutted the roster in the offseason. Chicago will look much better once Zach Lavine is healthy, but in the meantime, they have trouble scoring points. The Bulls don’t have a single player averaging 16 points per game. Chicago ranks 29th in points per game (94.8) but surprisingly are 10th in points allowed (104.2). Lauri Markkanen has been a pleasant surprise (14.8 PPG and 7.6 RPG) in his rookie season. The Bulls have the lowest field goal percentage in the league and also struggle to shoot the three.
The Lakers (6-10) have had an up and down season which isn’t shocking considering the youth on their roster. The Lakers rank 18th in points per game (104.3) and 22nd in points allowed (107.4). Los Angeles has some players who can score on the inside but they are the worst perimeter shooting team in the NBA. While they also lack a go-to scorer, the Lakers have seven players averaging double digit points. Surprisingly, Kyle Kuzma (16.4 PPG and 7.0 RPG) has had a more impressive rookie season than Lonzo Ball (8.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 6.8 APG) thus far. Ball has displayed a nice all-around game but he has really struggled shooting the ball (30.8%).
Bottom Line:
The Lakers are (4-5) at home this season while the Bulls are just (1-6) on the road. Neither team shoots the ball well so I would expect a low scoring game. The Lakers have a big advantage on the glass, scoring efficiency, and forcing turnovers. Those turnovers will allow them to get easy transition buckets. I’m picking the Lakers to win this one easily at home.
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