Tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET the Los Angeles Lakers (16-25) will try to keep righting their ship on the road against the Chicago Bulls (19-20), who despite losing Derrick Rose to injury and Luol Deng to trade, haven't gotten the memo about any "tanking" plan. Live stream the game by clicking this link; Lakers fans can catch the radio broadcast on 710 ESPN, while Bulls fans may listen to the game on ESPN 1000.
Deng is still technically the Bulls' leading scorer this year, but D.J. Augustin has emerged as a top option much like Nate Robinson did a year ago in Rose's absence. He's averaging 11.5 points per game in Chicago while often leading the team in assists too.
"I'm just going out there, playing freely, doing whatever coach (Tom Thibodeau) needs me to do, whatever my teammates need me to do," Augustin said. "Basically, just trying to get them the ball, trying to get them open. At the same time, coach wanted me to look (to score) for myself."
Center Joakim Noah has also stepped up, averaging 13.5 boards per game during a 12-game stretch. Chicago is 7-2 in 2014, so Los Angeles will have a difficult task in beating them tonight.
The Lakers have won back-to-back road contests, including a 107-104 win over the Celtics in Rajon Rondo's return. "It's really gratifying to win back-to-back games on the road, especially with the way we've been struggling," said Pau Gasol. "I'm just really proud of the guys. They're stepping up, they're bringing the effort, bringing the intensity, bringing the focus and not wanting to give up."
Nick Young seems to have put his one-game suspension for trying to fight the Phoenix Suns behind him, and the Lakers are hoping the rift between Young and his teammates, who didn't rush to his defense is repaired. "Nick's been doing it all year and he just keeps going," coach Mike D'Antoni said.
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