Will LeBron James Play Tonight? Los Angeles Lakers vs Chicago Bulls: Injury updates, Expected lineups, and Game Prediction

The Los Angeles Lakers lost their last fixture against the San Antonio Spurs, which snapped their 4-game winning streak. However, before heading on a road trip, the purple and gold will take on Chicago Bulls at Staples Center in a back-to-back game. The game will begin on Friday at 10:00 PM ET, as the Lakers hope to register their seventh win of the season.

Last season, the Lakers were phenomenal during home games, but this year the story is not the same. Out of their five home games, LA lost three of them. However, they are still playing phenomenally in road games, which has helped them stay competitive in the first half of the season.

On the other hand, the Chicago Bulls have had a bump start to their 2020-21 NBA season. They have placed all their hopes on their star guard Zach LaVine and will hope that he can carry them to a victory against Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Lakers injury updates and predicted lineup

In their battle against the Spurs, Alex Caruso returned after missing five games. However, their guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is still waiting to get a clearance from the medical team. As of now, he is expected to miss the matchup against the Bulls as well.

Luckily, both LeBron James and Anthony Davis are 100% healthy right now. So the expected lineup for the Lakers is Dennis Schroder (G), Kyle Kuzma (G), LeBron James (F), Anthony Davis (F), and Marc Gasol (C).

Chicago Bulls injury updates and predicted lineup

Lately, the Bulls backcourt duo of Zach LaVine and Coby White have been putting on a show. Both players are carrying the team on their backs as the team is severely shorthanded right now. Lauri Markkanen and Tomas Satoransky will miss another game due to COVID-19 health protocols. Furthermore, Chandler Hutchison and Ryan Arcidiacono will be sidelined as well due to injuries.

Keeping the above mentioned injuries in mind, the Bulls should enter the floor with a lineup of Coby White (G), Zach LaVine (G), Patrick Williams (F), Otto Porter Jr. (F), and Wendell Carter Jr. (C).

Game prediction

Despite the Lakers losing their last game, they should be able to take care of business vs the Bulls. Unless the Bulls pull off an upset, there are no reasons why the purple and gold would throw away this home game.