The Houston Rockets head to the United Center to take on the Chicago Bulls. The game begins at 8:30 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 5 and will air on ABC.
The Bulls are expecting a better outcome after their 102-89 loss to the Magic on Wednesday. Derrick Rose was the team’s high scorer, contributing 16 points. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a 100-95 win against the Pelicans on Wednesday. James Harden had a good performance and claimed his 16th double-double of the season, accumulating 39 points and 12 rebounds.
Harden has upped his play for the Rockets, averaging 36.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.6 steals, and 2.6 three-pointers over the past five games.
Trips to the foul line may prove key for the Rockets in this one. They’re ranked first in the league in free throw attempt rate (36.5), while Chicago is among the best at keeping opponents off of the charity stripe (ranking fifth by allowing a free throw attempt rate of 24.9).
The Bulls come into this game 30-30 Straight Up (SU) and 23-37 Against The Spread (ATS). While they boast a record of against Western Conference opponents at home, they have struggled to beat the spread in those same games, going 12-18. The Bulls are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a superb .364 from beyond the arc. Chicago has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where they rack up an average of 47.6 rebounds per game. The Bulls have really locked down opponents, ranking third in the league with a .435 opponent field-goal percentage. Chicago will look to take advantage of the Rockets and their propensity to foul. Houston ranks 28th in the league in fouls, averaging 22.6 per game.
As for their opponent, the Rockets have 30-31 SU and 25-35-1 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Houston is 30-31 SU and 25-35-1 ATS. The Rockets rank fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 105.6 points per game. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Rockets are the best in the league with an average of 10.1 steals per game. Houston makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking fourth in points off turnovers with an average of 18.8 per game.
These two will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Houston came out on top, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the past 10 meetings. On the other hand, the Rockets lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chi
Notes
Houston ranks fifth in points per game with 105.6, while Chicago ranks 17th in points allowed with an average of 102.8 given up.
On average, Chicago gives up 99.8 points per home game. Houston averages 107.1 points per away game, ranking the team fourth in scoring.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets are an outstanding 12-3. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Chicago Bulls have a losing record of 10-17.
The Houston Rockets have a losing 18-28 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Chicago Bulls are 20-13 when they hit the century mark.
The Bulls have a defensive rating of 103.1 (ranked 12th), while the Rockets rank ninth for their offensive rating of 104.9.
The Houston Rockets average a field goal percentage of 44.5% this season. The Chicago Bulls have a subpar record of 7-20 when opponents have a FG% of 44.5% or greater.
On average, the Chicago Bulls attempt 20.0 three point field goals per game and the Houston Rockets attempt 31.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Chicago has a poor record of 3-7, while Houston is 25-27.
The Chicago Bulls, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.67, rank 13th in the NBA. The Houston Rockets have a lower A/TO (1.39), ranking 27th.
Chicago ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at second (47.6 per game), while Houston ranks 22nd with 42.7 per game.
Chicago is the top-ranked team in terms of defensive rebounds. On the other side, Houston is a very strong team when it comes to offensive rebounding, ranked seventh.
Houston is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.8% (ranked fourth). Chicago has a poor record of 6-10 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.8% or greater.
