After seven straight wins, the Lakers’ impressive winning streak eventually came to an end in their 105-79 loss versus Carmello Anthony and the Nuggets. Thus, the team around Kobe Bryant will take on the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center on Friday at 3:30 a.m. GMT.

Given the fact the Bulls’ front-office decided to let leading scorer Ben Gordon walk during the off-season, many had their doubts whether Chicago would make another playoff appearance in 2009-10. After all, the franchise did not sign any replacement for Gordon and headed into this year’s NBA campaign without any major changes. However, in the first three weeks of action things have been looking good for the Bulls as they hold on to a solid 5-4 record. Most importantly, the return of Luol Deng had a positive impact on the Bulls’ front-court as Deng put up 17.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Likewise, sophomore Joakim Noah continued to develop and averaged 11.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in just 32 minutes per contest.

The Los Angeles Lakers on the other hand are still missing Pau Gasol whose hamstring injury is keeping him off the floor. Yet, Kobe Bryant and company were able to compensate for the loss of the Spanish All-Star forward as they rallied to an impressive 7-2 record. Albeit some had their doubts about putting Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant together on the floor, there was less trouble than expected as Artest limited his shot attempts. Likewise, Andrew Bynum got off to a great start as he returned from a knee injury, putting up 20.7 points, 11.9 boards and 1.4 blocks per game. Even though the Bulls have played well so far, the Los Angeles Lakers might be too much to handle for the young squad around Derrick Rose. Especially Kobe Bryant ability to take over and close out games single handedly will be a tough obstacle to overcome in the fourth quarter, if Chicago manages to stay within striking distance that is.

You can watch all games of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers right here on www.watchlivenba.com, the home of NBA live streaming.