Thursday, March 31, 2016

Toyota Center

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Chicago Bulls travel to Toyota Center to play the Houston Rockets on Thursday, March 31, 2016. The opening line for this game has Houston as 5 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 212.

The Bulls come into this game with an overall record of 37-37 and a road record of 13-23. They are 4th in the Central Division. They currently have a point differential of -1.6 as they are averaging 101.5 points per game while giving up 103.1 per contest. Chicago is 8-5 against division opponents and they have a conference record of 22-25. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Rockets have an overall record of 37-38 and a home record of 20-16. They currently are 3rd in the Southwest Division. They are averaging 105.9 points per game and surrendering 106.7, good for a point differential of -0.8. Houston has a division record of 8-7 and a conference record of 24-22. In their last 10 games they are 4-6.

Jimmy Butler comes into this contest averaging 21 points per game while playing 37.1 minutes per night so far this season for the Bulls. He pulls down 5.2 rebounds per game and dishes out 4.4 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 45% while his free throw percentage is currently at 82%. Derrick Rose averages 16.8 points per game in 32 minutes per contest this season. He averages 4.8 assists per contest and 3.5 rebounds per game for Chicago. His field goal percentage is 43% for the year while his free throw percentage is 79%.

James Harden averages 28.6 points per game while playing 38 minutes per contest this year for the Rockets. He grabs 6.4 rebounds per game and has 7.5 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 43% and his free throw percentage currently is at 87%. Dwight Howard averages 14 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 32.5 minutes per contest. He also averages 11.9 rebounds per contest and 1.4 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 62% and his free throw percentage is 49%.

Chicago averages 101.5 points per contest this season which ranks them 20th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is -1.6 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them ranked 26th. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 3rd in the league. They average 55.4 rebounds per game and 22.6 assists per game which ranks them 3rd and 12th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 13th with 13.9 per game. The Bulls allow 103.1 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 16th in the league. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 7th and 6th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 54.6 rebounds a game which ranks 25th and they give up 22.6 assists per contest which puts them in 20th place in the league. They force 11.9 turnovers per game which ranks them 29th in the league.

Houston averages 105.9 points per game this year which ranks them 4th in the league. Their average scoring margin is -0.8 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them sitting in the 15th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 34% which is good for 22nd in the NBA. They average 53.2 rebounds per game and 21.9 assists per contest which ranks them 9th and 17th respectively. In the turnover department the Rockets rank 27th with 16.1 per game. The Rockets allow 106.7 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 26th in the league. They also allow a 46% shooting percentage and a 36% average from behind the arc ranking them 20th and 22nd in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 53.7 rebounds a game which ranks 22nd and they give up 24.6 assists per contest which puts them in 30th place in the league. The Rockets force 16.4 turnovers per game which ranks them 1st in the NBA.

The Bulls average 101.2 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 95.7 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of -4.9 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is -7.3 per contest. The Bulls have an offensive rating of 104.3 and a defensive rating of 105.9. In terms of pace they average 96.1 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 48%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 52% and they shoot 3 pointers on 24% of their shots. Chicago turns the ball over an average of 12.5 times per 100 possessions and they force 10.7 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 48%.

The Rockets score 104.9 ppg at home and they have averaged 106.3 points per contest in their last 3 games. They have an average scoring differential of 2 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 0.5 points per game. The Rockets rating on offense is 107.7 and they have a defensive rating of 108.4. They get 97.6 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 51%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 55% and they attempt 3 pointers on 37% of their shot attempts. Houston turns the ball over on 14.3 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 14.6 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 52%.

Chicago Bulls Betting Trends

The Chicago Bulls are 31-43-0 against the spread

The Chicago Bulls are 36-36-2 against the over/under

Houston Rockets Betting Trends

The Houston Rockets are 33-42-0 against the spread

The Houston Rockets are 42-31-2 against the over/under

Chicago Bulls Injuries

03/30/16 PG Derrick Rose Elbow injured last game, "?" Thursday vs. Houston
03/30/16 F Taj Gibson Ribs injured last game, "?" Thursday vs. Houston
01/25/16 C Joakim Noah Shoulder out indefinitely

Houston Rockets Injuries

No key injuries to report

Josh's Pick: Take Chicago

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