Tip-off: Thursday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Chicago -8.5, Total: 195.5

The Lakers will look to end a nine-game losing skid when they host the Bulls on Thursday night.

Chicago has not been the dominant team that many thought it would be this season, but may have turned a corner after winning three of the past four games (SU and ATS) with each victory coming as the underdog. Each team the Bulls defeated is a likely playoff team in the Western Conference and they scored a robust 106.3 PPG in the victories. On Tuesday they began a six-game road trip with the daunting task of facing Golden State at Oracle Arena, but they showed up in a big way and prevailed 113-111 in overtime while getting 11.5 points. The difference-maker in the victory was actually the charity stripe, as Chicago got to the line 23 times, making 21 (91% FT), while the Warriors were a mere 6-for-12 from the charity stripe. The Lakers' season continues to snowball and winning has become even more difficult with the loss of their leader, Kobe Bryant, for the duration of the season. Their last stretch of games has been horrendous, as they haven’t recorded a win since Jan. 9 (nine games) and have been defeated by an average of 10.4 PPG in that period. Los Angeles has also hurt bettors and covered just once during the losing streak, as it kept the game close against the Wizards on Tuesday, but still lost 98-92 as a 9-point underdog. The Lakers came out strong early, but were outscored 52-35 in the second half as they allowed Washington to make 49% of its FG attempts. The Bulls have been one of the better road teams in the NBA at 17-6 SU (13-10 ATS), and could easily grab another victory, as L.A. is a meager 6-17 SU (9-12-2 ATS) at Staples Center. Chicago has had no issues beating up on the Lakers in recent memory and did so in the first meeting between the clubs this season when the Bulls hosted them on Christmas Day and picked up a big 113-93 victory as 12-point favorites. It was Chicago’s sixth win in the past seven meetings, as it is 4-3 ATS in that time while holding Los Angeles to a mere 89.0 PPG. Trends show that the Bulls are 18-10 ATS (64%) after five straight games forcing their opponent to commit 14 or less turnovers in the past three seasons, but L.A. is 7-1 ATS (88%) after six consecutive losses in the same timeframe. On the injury front, SF Mike Dunleavy (ankle) and SG Jimmy Butler (illness) remain questionable for Chicago and the Lakers have SG Kobe Bryant (shoulder) out for the season and SG Nick Young (ankle) questionable.

Can the Lakers end their losing skid with a big upset on Thursday night? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Forecaster has a strong 55% ATS record (118-95-1) in featured games this season. In terms of Best Bets, the experts have a huge 61% ATS (60-39) record since Jan. 2, led by StatFox Gary, who is a sizzling 65% ATS (13-7) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 1, and 57% ATS (38-29) this season. StatFox Scott is also red-hot with a 69% ATS (18-8) mark in Best Bets since Dec. 21, improving his record to 56% ATS (37-29) for the season. StatFox Brian is 60% ATS (27-18) in Best Bets since Nov. 29, and is now 55% ATS (37-30) in season Best Bets, while StatFox Zach is 57% ATS (12-9) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 2.

Chicago had one of the worst offenses in the NBA last season, but between the acquisition of PF Pau Gasol (18.3 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 2.2 BPG) and the maturation of SG Jimmy Butler’s game (20.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.8 SPG), the club has risen up to ninth in the league with 102.0 PPG on 44.4% shooting. The Bulls had to give away a little on defense to improve so much on offense and have let their opponents score 99.4 PPG this season, while making 44.2% of their shots (8th in league). Gasol posted his seventh straight double-double on Tuesday night, scoring 18 points to go with 16 rebounds, as he also added eight assists and four blocks. He also crushed the Lakers for 23 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks in the win on Christmas Day. Butler missed the win over Golden State with an illness, and the Bulls hope to get their leading scorer back after he’s scored 20+ points in three of his past six outings and played a great all-around game (21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks) when matched up against L.A. last time. PG Derrick Rose (18.6 PPG, 4.9 APG) has been getting to the basket more often, and despite having 11 turnovers and just one assist against Golden State, he was able to grab seven boards and pump in 30 points, including the game-winning shot in overtime. Rose went for 20 points and six assists when these teams met back in December.

The Lakers’ offense took a hit with SG Kobe Bryant (22.3 PPG) now expected to miss the rest of the season, and they continue to fall, as they are averaging 99.1 PPG (12th-worst in league) on a putrid 43.5% shooting (6th-worst in NBA). Unfortunately, it only gets worse on the defensive end, as the unit is allowing 106.0 PPG (2nd-worst in league) on a 46.6% FG clip (2nd-worst in NBA). C Jordan Hill (12.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG) has hit a mere 42% of his shots in the past five games, but has still managed double-digit points in 11 of his past 12 contests. He was on the court for 31 minutes against the Bulls on Christmas Day, scoring 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting, as he added six rebounds. PG Jeremy Lin (10.5 PPG, 4.6 APG, 1.1 SPG) has made 9-of-27 shots (33% FG) in his past four outings, but still managed to be productive with averages of 9.5 PPG, 6.8 APG and 1.8 SPG. The Bulls shut him down the last time they squared off, as Lin scored a meager six points and recorded two steals. PF Carlos Boozer (12.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG) had only four points and four rebounds against the Wizards just two days after a huge performance (18 points, 11 rebounds) in a loss to Houston. He played an effective 17 minutes against his former team last month, hitting 7-of-11 shots for 14 points, and also added five rebounds.