The Los Angeles Lakers will face one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference on Sunday.
L.A. could get a break, as the Chicago Bulls will likely be without star Zach LaVine, who is still in the league’s health and safety protocols.
Zach LaVine will likely miss Lakers, Rockets and Raptors if his current situation in the protocol holds. Would be back for the Dec. 26 game against Pacers.
— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) December 16, 2021
The Bulls’ roster has been decimated recently by a COVID-19 outbreak within the team. At one point earlier this week, 10 of their players were in the league’s health and safety protocols. The NBA eventually decided to postpone two of their games.
The NBA has postponed the Bulls-Pistons game on Tuesday and Bulls-Raptors on Thursday, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 13, 2021
Chicago will enter the game on Sunday with a 17-10 record, having lost its past two games. The team will try to get back on track possibly without LaVine and some of its rotation players.
LaVine has been exceptional for the Bulls again this year. He is averaging 26.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. The Bulls will have to look elsewhere on the roster to fill the void if the All-Star guard is unable to play.
The Lakers will face LaVine’s former team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, first before heading to Chicago to end a three-game road trip. L.A. is currently riding a three-game win streak. The Lakers would surely love to extend that win streak as much as possible in order to gain some ground in the standings in the tough Western Conference.
After struggling early in the season, the Lakers are currently 16-13 and tied for fifth in the Western Conference. They are also shorthanded themselves as three of their players have recently been placed in health and safety protocols.
