The Kobe Bryant farewell tour will continue today when the Chicago Bulls host the Los Angeles Lakers. Join The Roar for live scores from 12:00pm (AEDT).
The Bulls, once touted as potential Eastern Conference heavyweights, are currently clinging on to the eighth seed in the East and will be looking to solidify their playoff chances with a win against the lowly Lakers.
All-Star shooting guard Jimmy Butler has been inactive for the Bulls since spraining his knee against Denver on February 6. However this is a match-up in which Chicago should be able to cope comfortably without their leading scorer, as the Lakers have a record which has them sitting last in the Western Conference.
In Butler’s absence, Doug McDermott poured in a career-high off the bench 30 points in Chicago’s last game against Toronto, pushing his case for a larger role on the Bulls’ roster, while big man Pau Gasol will be hoping to impress ahead of a big free agency period for which he is expected to opt-out of his contract for.
But it is Gasol’s former teammate Bryant who will be the centre of attention. Having recently farewelled San Antonio for the final time, the future Hall of Famer will say goodbye to the city where Michael Jordan, so often cited as the player who Bryant modelled his game on, made the NBA his own.
It is no secret that Bryant came close to joining Chicago on a number of occasions during his spectacular career. As it is, he currently has fewer away games against the Bulls than any other team in the NBA. He will be hoping the last is one to remember.
Will the Chicago Bulls notch an expected win over a Los Angeles Lakers side with the worst record in the Western Conference? Or will Kobe Bryant be able to deliver an upset in his final game in Chicago? Join The Roar for live scores from 12:00pm (AEDT).