Neither the Chicago Bulls nor the Houston Rockets really look like playoff teams right now. Both are going to share the court at the Toyota Center on Thursday night in a game which is shaping up to be quite important for both underachieving squads.
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SCHEDULING
This is a really tough stretch for the Bulls. This will be the sixth game the team has played in nine days, and though it does come with a day off on Wednesday to prep for this one, Chicago still has to travel from Indianapolis to Houston in the middle.
The Bulls have lost their last three games heading into Monday's duel with the Hawks.
The Rockets aren't in great form either, as they've lost four of their last five. They've got a game against the Cavaliers on Tuesday night at home before this one.
KEY MATCHUP
Dwight Howard really looks like he has completely checked out. He's averaged just 8.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in his last eight overall, and that’s just not good enough on a team which really only has one major scoring threat in James Harden.
The Bulls can be beaten on the inside for sure, knowing that Pau Gasol is the only true center used on the roster for any period of time.
With Howard on the court, the Rockets really shouldn't be this bad on the glass. They're just No. 20 in the Association both in rebounds for and rebounds against. Again, the good news is that the Bulls are awful on the defensive glass, but Howard has to play this game with purpose.
If he is, live bettors will find Houston getting a lot of second chances at the bucket, and when you play at one of the quickest tempos in the NBA and average 105.9 points per game, second chances are vital and can be demoralizing to the opposition.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
Neither one of these teams have great trends heading into this one when you look at home and away splits. The Bulls are just 13-22 ATS outside of the United Center this season. Houston though, is only 14-22 ATS at home.
The Rockets are just 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS in their last four games played at home, but they one cover came against a very good Toronto outfit, proof that games like this could and perhaps should be won. However, there are just too many examples of games like an 89-87 loss to Utah for live bettors to feel comfortable backing the Rockets in most situations.
What really has been problematic for the Bulls of late is the way they've played against teams like this with losing records. They've failed to cover their last four, and those games came against the Kings, Knicks, Knicks and Magic. In each case, Chicago was favored by at least 3.5, and it was getting the nod by at least seven in three of the four.
The Bulls led pretty much the whole way against the Rockets when these two clubs met just a few weeks ago at the United Center. That said, Chicago also nearly coughed up a 14-point lead with just 5:20 left to play. Houston got within four and only lost by eight, and many of its live bettors, particularly those who got onboard in the second half, came out winners.
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