THE Chicago Bulls, riding a two-game winning streak, will face the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Thursday. The hosts are on a five-game winning streak, and a victory against the red-hot Bulls will move them closer to 10th place, occupied by the Golden State Warriors.
While Chicago is pretty much a must-win for the play-in tournament, the Western Conference is wide open for the seventh and eighth seeds. The Rockets are three wins behind the Warriors.
Their schedule gets even tougher, as they face the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves shortly after. But the confidence with which they play makes them legitimate contenders for 10th place.
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The Bulls won their last game against the Rockets in overtime. Coby White A 30-point outing saw them past Houston 124-119 in overtime at the United Center. The two teams are tied with 73 wins each in 146 regular season meetings.
Chicago Bulls vs Houston Rockets: Preview, Predictions and Betting Tips
The game between the Bulls and Rockets is scheduled to take place at 8 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the game on Space City Home Network and NBC Sports Chicago.
Spread: Bulls +3.5 (-110), Rockets -3.5 (-110)
Money line: Bulls +135, Rockets -160
Total (including): Bulls o217.5, Rockets u217.5
Chicago Bulls vs. Houston Rockets Preview
The Bulls have yet to reach the .500 mark this season, and Thursday night gives them the perfect opportunity to reach that number.
They are four games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks and are the same distance as the Philadelphia 76ers. A win will solidify their position as one of the best teams for the playoffs.
They hope they can get past the shaky Sixers to avoid play-in conflicts. The challenge though is that their ceiling is much shorter without Coby White in the mix. They rank 19th in offensive rating and 19th in defensive rating.
The Rockets are better placed in terms of firepower but find themselves in an unforgiving West. Their journey got a lot tougher with the Warriors beating the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
Compared to the Windy City, Houston ranks 21st in offense and eighth in defense. In Green Jalenthey have a true star who has been relentless on offense.
Chicago Bulls vs. Houston Rockets: starting lineups, substitutes and rotations
The Bulls will most likely be without Coby White. The guard missed the game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
His hip injury will mainly see the visitors stick to the same formation with Ayo Dosunmu at PGAlex Caruso at SGDeMar DeRozan at SFTorrey Craig to PFand Nikola Vucevi at VS.
The Rockets will line up Fred VanVleet has PGJalen Green takes over SG functions, Amen Thompson at SFDillon Brooks at PFand Jabari Smith Jr. will likely play VS.
The Bulls have a reliable forward in Onuralp Bitim, while Andre Drummond plays center in non-Vucevc minutes. Jevon Carter is one of the players capable of causing a sensation at 3 points.
As for the Rockets, the absence of Alperen Sengun means Jeff Green takes some valuable minutes when Jabari Smith Jr. takes the bench to breathe.
For the Bulls, Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball, Patrick Williams and Julian Terry remain sidelined. It hurts the team’s production on both ends of the floor, but they’ve had wins.
Houston, meanwhile, will miss the services of Sengun, Cam Whitmore, Tari Eason and center Steven Adams.
Chicago Bulls vs Houston Rockets predictions
DeMar DeRozan is on a roll for the Bulls and comes in with an o/u of 22.5 (-110 over and -120 under). Jalen Green will be the most profitable bet with 24.5 (-105/+100).
Chicago Bulls vs. Houston Rockets Prediction
The Chicago Bulls will struggle a bit with White missing. The Rockets are the favorites with home-court advantage and recent form. Expect the Rockets to cover the spread and outplay the Bulls.
