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Preview: Lakers at Bulls

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The Lakers (17-23) visit the Chicago Bulls (23-16) on Monday night, playing on the second night of a back-to-back.

Luol Deng is questionable with a hamstring issue for the Bulls.

Oddly, Chicago is just 11-11 at home. They’ve been dominant on the road at 12-5, but there’s a slight vulnerability for the Lakers to exploit.

Of course, the Lakers haven’t played well consistently. They’ll need their best game to beat the Bulls and that’s a little much to ask given the minutes played in Toronto on Sunday.

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Key Matchup

Joakim Noah is one of the better defensive centers in the league. He’ll be a formidable matchup for Dwight Howard.

Noah is averaging 12.4 points a game and 10.6 rebounds a year. His 4.1 assists per game are second only to point guard Kirk Hinrich’s.

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Howard is coming off a second-quarter ejection against the Raptors. Perhaps that will lead to fresher legs against the Bulls.

X-factor

Marco Belinelli recently hit a game winner for the Bulls. He’s not always a consistent presence for Chicago but his offense can spark his team.

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The Lakers are still trying to integrate Pau Gasol with Howard. The team is better when they play inside out. Against the defensive-minded Bulls, the Lakers will need to get Gasol, Howard or both going offensively.

Outlook

The Lakers have a shot to get this one in Chicago but they shouldn’t be favored on the second night of a back-to-back.

ALSO:

Pau Gasol and Mike D’Antoni are not on the same page

Lakers paying almost $130 million for 12th-place team

Pau Gasol ‘probably not’ open to coming off the bench

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Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.

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