After the Kobe Bryant-less Los Angeles Lakers took down the league’s best team, the Golden State Warriors, on Tuesday, they are back in action on Christmas day against the red-hot Chicago Bulls.
The Lakers played with so much energy and passion against the Warriors without Kobe and won, 115-105. Going into this game against the Bulls, Bryant’s status remains questionable. Byron Scott did say that he would rest Kobe for a game or two, so there is a huge chance Bryant sits this one out as well.
Without Kobe, there was a lot of balance offensively thanks to the great ball movement and unselfish play. The Lakers were led by Carlos Boozer, who put in 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench. This game will be Boozer’s return to Chicago where he played for four seasons. Also, it is Pau Gasol’s reunion with his old team, where he won two championship rings alongside Kobe Bryant.
“Emotional, weird, hard to focus, but at the same time I kind of look forward to it in a way,” Gasol said about playing his former team. “To see some of the people that I’ve been through a lot with…just makes Christmas a little more special.”
Speaking of Gasol, he is playing terrific on both ends of the floor, averaging 18.0 points and a career-high 11.4 rebounds per game so far. Gasol is also averaging 2.0 blocks, which is so far the second highest block average of his career. He has been the main reason behind Chicago’s success this year. Coming into this game, he creates matchup problems for the Lakers, as L.A. does not have anyone to compensate for his size and length in the low post.
Derrick Rose has looked like an MVP the past couple of games for the Bulls, averaging 27.0 points on 61.1 percent shooting. He led the Bulls to two key victories over the Washington Wizards on the road and the top seeded Toronto Raptors at home. He will be another tough cover for the Lakers.
“He’s having fun out there,” Joakim Noah said about Rose’s recent play. “When he’s playing, he’s playing at a really high level. A lot of guys are stepping up, it just feels good to have Derrick back on the court,” Noah continued.
The Bulls are currently on a four game winning and are a half game behind the third seeded Wizards. They will look to continue their stellar play against the more inferior Lakers. However, the Lakers are not going to back down. They got their last win by giving way more effort than they have in the past this season. Los Angeles will just have to make sure the ball is moving to get quality shots against the Bulls’ tough halfcourt defense.
The Bulls defeated the Brooklyn Nets in their last Christmas day match, while the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Miami Heat. The last time these two teams met on Christmas was in 2011, which also marks the last time Derrick Rose played against the Lakers.
The Bulls won that game by one point due to a game-winning nine-foot hook shot by Rose. As a matter of fact, the Bulls have won five out of the last six contests against the Lakers.
This game tips off at 8 pm Eastern Standard Time on TNT.