Monday, January 5, 2015 at 8:00 PM

United Center in Chicago

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

On Monday, the stingy defense of the Houston Rockets will be taking on the high-scoring offense of the Chicago Bulls. Last season, the Rockets and the Bulls each came away with a win from their two-game regular season series against each other.

The Rockets held the Miami Heat to just 30 second-half points on Saturday night and ended up blowing them out 115-79 at home. They made 50.6 percent of their shots in that game, including going 13-for-30 from three-point range.

So far this season, the Rockets have one of the top defenses in the NBA by giving up just over 95 points per game. Veteran big man Dwight Howard has averaged 18 points and 11.3 rebounds this season while making over 60 percent of his shots.

On Saturday night, the Bulls won their second straight game when they defeated the Boston Celtics 109-104 in overtime. They only made 37 percent of their shot attempts in that game, but they also had a dominant 59-45 rebounding advantage.

The Bulls are scoring over 102 points per game this season while giving up less than 100 points per game to their opponents. New power forward Pau Gasol is having a good first season in Chicago by averaging a double-double of 18 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. Their top scorer is shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who is averaging 21.9 points per game.

Houston Rockets Betting Trends

Houston Rockets are 18-14-1 Against the Spread

Houston Rockets are 12-21-0 against the Over/Under

Chicago Bulls Betting Trends

Chicago Bulls are 15-19-0 Against the Spread

Chicago Bulls are 18-15-0 against the Over/Under

Injuries to Watch

Houston Rockets

11/15/14 F Terrence Jones Leg out indefinitely
01/02/15 G Alexey Shved Ankle out indefinitely

Chicago Bulls

12/12/14 F Doug McDermott Knee out indefinitely
01/04/15 G Jimmy Butler Personal missed last game, probable Monday vs. Houston
01/04/15 G Mike Dunleavy Ankle expected to miss Monday vs. Houston

Josh's Pick: Take Chicago

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