GAME NIGHT FROM THE UNITED CENTER:
Los Angeles Lakers at Chicago Bulls (Lakers: 5-1, 2-1 on the road) (Bulls: 2-5, 1-1 at home)
TV: NBCSC: Neil Funk and Stacey King. 7PM
RADIO: 670 The Score: Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington, and David Schuster. 6:45 pre.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine: 21ppg. Lakers: Davis: 28 ppg.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Carter: 9 per. Lakers: Davis: 11 per.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Satoransky: 5 per. Lakers: James 11 per.
PREVIEW: The Bulls will need to bring everything they have tonight as they look to bounce back following a disappointing game against Indiana. The United Center will be rocking as LeBron James and Anthony Davis and the 5-1 Lakers make their only appearance in Chicago this season. James is having another fabulous season. He's averaging 25 points (14th in the NBA) 8 rebounds and a league-leading 11 assists per game. Not bad for a player that turns 35 next month.
James vs Bulls: Career: 56 games: 28pts 7 reb. 6 assists Davis vs Bulls: 10 games: 25pts. 11 reb. 3 blk.
James has played in 1204 NBA regular-season games and amassed nearly 46-thousand 450 minutes. This doesn't take into account James' 239 playoff games where he's averaged 42 minutes per game. Last year he played in a career-low 55 games but this season he has pronounced himself fit and ready to roll.
The key to James and the Lakers' fortunes is health. Can James and Davis stay relatively injury-free come mid-April when the REAL action begins? The Lakers will monitor these two frequently during the course of the season.
Davis is enjoying his new professional residence by simply overpowering opponents, ranking fifth in scoring at 28 per game, pulling down 11 rebounds a contest.
The Lakers list veteran guard Avery Bradley as questionable for tonight's game with a right leg contusion.
Wendell Carter Jr. is on the big stage as of right now for the Bulls. The team counts on Carter to anchor the team's backline defense and collecting garbage buckets. In the low post. He is attempting to expand his offensive game by shooting a three on occasion.
24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
Milwaukee 134, Minnesota 106: Giannis 34-15-6. Enough said. He has posted a double-double in all seven games. The game was delayed 50 minutes so one of the baskets could be fixed before tipoff.
Golden State 127, Portland 118: Golden State's Eric Paschall celebrated his 23rd birthday with 34 points and 13 rebounds as the beat-up Warriors stunned Portland. Paschall was drafted 41st overall out of Villanova. This kid can play.
Phoenix 114, Philadelphia 109: The 5-2 Suns handed the 76ers their first loss of the season. Devin Booker recorded 40 points and Ricky Rubio tossed in 21 points and 10 assists.
Brooklyn 135, New Orleans 125: Coach K is smiling..as Head Coach at Duke he had both Kyrie Irving and Brandon Ingram in Durham, NC. Now pros, Irving scored 39 for the Nets, Ingram with a career-high 40 points for the now 1-6 Pelicans. Another former Duke product Zion Williamson remains sidelined. Irving has scored 20 or more points in each of his seven games as a Net and is averaging 31 points on the season. Duke practiced in the Nets training facility as the Blue Devils play Kansas tonight.
Washington 115, Detroit 99: The Pistons roster is decimated with injuries but one constant remains in Andre Drummond. His rebounding totals are staggering; 24 boards in last night's loss to the Wizards.
Houston 107, Memphis 100: James Harden scored 44 points The Rockets played without Russell Westbrook. The Grizzlies Jaren Jackson was sidelined.
According to reports, Atlanta's Trae Young is likely to return to the Hawks lineup tonight as Atlanta entertains San Antonio. The Hawks have a rare home/home back to back as they entertain the Bulls tomorrow night. Young sprained his ankle last week against the Heat.
Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week: EC: the Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and in the west: Lakers' Anthony Davis. The Bulls play Davis tonight and Giannis next week in Milwaukee. Davis averaged 32 points-13 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.7 block shots in wins over Memphis, Dallas, and San Antonio.
Cleveland guard Kevin Porter Jr was suspended one game for inappropriate comments to an official.
Long-time NBA guard Jose Calderon has announced his retirement and has joined the NBAPA as a Special Assistant. Calderon is as classy as they come.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out: cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter @ctsbulls
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