The Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls, two more teams involved in player swaps will be facing off on Christmas Day. The Bulls will host the Lakers who are coming off a surprising 115-105 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
All eyes will be on Pau Gasol and Carlos Boozer, two players who will be playing against their former ballclubs. However, another person in the spotlight is Kobe Bryant who is expected to return against the Bulls after taking a one-game break.
From ESPN:
"Looking at our schedule coming up, I just thought it was a good time to give him a day of rest and let him prepare for the next game," coach Byron Scott said after Tuesday's game.
The 36-year old Bryant, who recently overtook Michael Jordan in the NBA All-Time all-time scoring list, has taken on the brunt of the workload for the Lakers. Bryant's efforts have become futile for the Hollywood ballclub with the Lakers toting a 9-19 card over in the Western Conference.
They are just half a game ahead over the Utah Jazz (9-20).
Aside from Kobe and Boozer, Lakers coach Byron Scott hopes to get some mileage out of Jeremy Lin, Nick Young, Jordan Hill and the rest.
On the other side, the Chicago Bulls hope to follow up their 99-91 win over the Washington Wizards last time out. The Bulls could be without guard Kirk Heinrich who did not play against the Wizards due to tendinitis on the left knee. Another player out for the Bulls-Lakers game is Doug McDermott who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
The Bulls are looking for a victory to help them move up the Eastern Conference standings. At the moment, the Bulls hold a 19-9 card and are half a game behind the Wizards.
Aside from Pau Gasol and Derrick Rose, coach Tom Thibodeau will be banking on veterans Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and the explosive Jimmy Butler. After exploding in their previous three games, Butler is expected to bounce back after being limited to just 11 points against the Wizards.
The Lakers and Bulls will tip-off at 8 p.m. EDT with the game being broadcast on the TNT network or online through live stream by clicking here.
