The Lakers beat the Bulls 129-118 in Chicago on January 6th, covering the -1.5 spread. The Lakers have 40 wins on the season and 35 covers, but most of them are against lousy teams. They can't get over the hump against the good team. They made a nice effort in challenging that statement by beating the Knicks a couple of days ago. They've won and covered three straight, and after a loss to Denver, they won and covered another three straight. So that's six out of seven games they've won and covered, and the Bulls fit the profile of a team that the Lakers win and cover against. Lakers to cover.

Josh Giddey posted 13 rebounds and 17 assists versus the Warriors on Tuesday. He played 43 minutes, showing that he is clearly past the ankle injury that recently bothered him. Giddey has logged at least 32 minutes and combined for at least 18 rebounds and assists in each of his last four games. With minute restrictions no longer an issue, I like Giddey’s chances of racking up rebounds and assists again. It also helps that this game is on the road, where he averages 9.1 rebounds and 9.4 assists for the season.