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Chicago Bulls vs Houston Rockets: Both teams are hoping to reach the playoffs
The Chicago Bulls are visiting the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Thursday.
The Bulls are having a solid week
The Chicago Bulls are ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 34-35 record. They have won three of the last four games and are coming off a 110-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bulls are third in the league, committing only 12.3 turnovers per game, and are ranked fourth with 7.6 steals per game. DeMar DeRozan leads the team with 23.2 points per game, followed by Nikola Vucevic, who averages 18.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
The Rockets have the longest active winning streak on the West
The Houston Rockets are 11th in the Western Conference with a 33-35 record. They have won the last six games and are coming off a 137-114 win over the Washington Wizards. The Rockets are sixth in the league, allowing 46% shooting from the field, and 11th, allowing 112.5 points per game. Alperen Sengun is the best player on the team, averaging 21.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
Betting Trends
The Bulls are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games against the Rockets. Chicago is 2-4 ATS in the last 6 games overall, 1-5 ATS in the last 6 games against teams from the Western Conference and 7-2 ATS in the last 9 games against teams from the Southwest Division. The Rockets are 9-1 ATS in the last 10 games overall, 7-1 ATS in the last 8 home games and 9-2 ATS in the last 11 games against teams from the Eastern Conference.
Prediction and Conclusion
This will be an interesting matchup between two teams in a difficult situation. The Bulls are hanging on in the play-in zone, while the Rockets need to keep on winning in order to get there. Their top player, Alperen Sengun, is out indefinitely, but the Rockets showed character and have the longest winning streak of the season even without him. The Bulls are also struggling with injuries as Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams are out for the season and Coby White is listed as day-to-day. This will be a tight one, but the Rockets will keep the winning streak alive by covering the -3.5-point spread.
