The Chicago Bulls will head to their showdown with the Houston Rockets with momentum on their side after trouncing the Oklahoma City Thunder, 128-100, on Wednesday night. Jimmy Butler had a game-high 28 points while Dwyane Wade added 18 points and 7 assists to lead the Bulls to their second straight win. Wade has been solid in his first year for Chicago, averaging 18.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists this campaign.
Key to the Bulls’ sudden resurgence has been their superb play on the offensive end. They’re averaging 124.5 points over their last two victories. They displayed that offensive prowess in the win against OKC, shooting at a high 60.5 percent clip from the field. The Bulls will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Houston side that’s seventh-worst in the NBA in scoring defense this season.
Chicago has dominated its matchup with Houston of late, winning four of their last five meetings. The Bulls are 4-1 ATS during this span.
Things are going from bad to worse for the Houston Rockets as they suffered a gut-wrenching 113-108 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night. The Rockets had difficulty stopping Tim Hardaway Jr. who scored 23 of his 33 points in the final quarter. It was another disappointing defeat for the Rockets who squandered a huge 20-point lead. They have now lost four of their last six games.
The Rockets wasted another solid performance from James Harden who recorded 41 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He has been a beast for Houston this season, leading the team not only in scoring (28.4 PPG) but also in rebounds (8.2 RPG) and assists (11.5 APG) as well. Basketball is a team sport, though, and Harden can’t do it all by himself.
One guy who needs to improve on his play tonight is Eric Gordon. He struggled mightily in the loss to Atlanta, shooting just 4-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-10 from beyond the 3-point area. Gordon and co. will have their work cut out for them, however, against a Chicago defense that’s allowing just 101.6 points per game this season, fifth-lowest in the NBA.
The Rockets are 7-3 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 home games.
