Tonight, the 34-35 Chicago Bulls have a chance to improve their .500 record for the first time in months in a Toyota Center game against the 33-35 Houston Rockets, who by record are at pretty much their mirror image in the Western Conference. . Both clubs are on winning streaks, although Houston’s six-game streak far exceeds Chicago’s two games. Chicago boasts a fairly competent 16-18 road record, although Houston is an intimidating 23-11 at home.
For the curious, here’s how to follow this evening’s action. Neither club is looking to win it all this season (or, in the Bulls’ case, always, apparently), but both could be fun gambling clubs. Chicago is currently seemingly locked into the ninth seed in the East, as they are 3.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Hawks 30-38 and eight games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets. The Rockets are the 11th seed in the West, but trail the Golden State Warriors by only three games with plenty of time left in the season.
How to watch
The game begins at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET in Houston. Houston fans can catch the festivities via the intriguingly nicknamed Space City Home Network, while Bulls fans can watch via BNC Sports Chicago, with Stacey King and Adam Amin on the call. The Bulls are very banged up, but they have still managed to enjoy a nice run of late. That might be a good thing.
Injuries
By the latest NBA injury report, Chicago will be without two-way players Henri Drell, Andrew Funk and Adama Sanogo, all of whom are with Chicago’s NBAGL affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. Lonzo Ball (left knee surgery), Zach LaVine (right midfoot surgery) and Patrick Williams (left midfoot surgery) are all out for the year, of course. Rookie Julian Phillips is out indefinitely with a sprained right foot. Guards Coby White and Alex Caruso have been upgraded and become available. For the Rockets, centers Steven Adams (right knee PCL surgery) and Alperen Sengun (right ankle sprain) are done for the year, as is forward Tari Eason. Cam Whitmore is on set with a sprained right knee.
Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
Betting Odds
The Rockets are a slight -3.5 point favorite to win at home tonight, according to Vegas aggregator The action network. That said, if things are close, Chicago could pull out the W. As The Action Network notes, the Bulls’ late-game defense is surprisingly adept. They allowed a 48% true shooting percentage in late-game scenarios and close contests, which ranks as the fourth-best such metric in the league (if tied).
Bulls guards White and Ayo Dosunmu have been on a tear lately, as has (likely) future Hall of Fame forward DeMar DeRozan. If they can stay cooking and hit their jump shots late — and provided center Nikola Vucevic can secure a few boards and limit his predilection for striving for more offensive touches than his recent play warrants — Chicago can ensure the surprise. Bet against Houston’s coverage.
Uncommon knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
