Houston Rockets vs Chicago Bulls Prediction, 12/26/2022 Preview and Pick

Game: Houston Rockets vs Chicago Bulls

Date: Monday, December 26, 2022

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Odds/Point Spread: Houston (+9)

The Chicago Bulls will play the Houston Rockets at United Center on Monday. Chicago is 9-point favorites from oddsmakers. The total is set at 227.5.

The Rockets took the court against the Mavericks and took a loss by a final of 112-106 in their last game. Houston finished with a 45.7% FG percentage (37 out of 81) and knocked down 8 of their 26 shots from downtown. At the charity stripe, the Rockets buried 24 of 28 attempts for a percentage of 85.7%. When talking about hauling in rebounds, they earned 45 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 26 dimes for this contest as well as creating 14 turnovers and having 9 steals. In terms of defending, Houston allowed their opponent to shoot 45.0% from the field on 36 out of 80 shooting. Dallas recorded 20 dimes and had 10 steals in the game. Furthermore, Dallas snagged 34 boards (7 offensive, 27 defensive) and earned 3 blocks. Dallas finished the contest at 88.9% at the charity stripe by burying 24 of their 27 attempts. They made 16 of their 44 tries from beyond the arc. In regard to personal fouls, the Rockets ended up walking away with 21 and the Mavericks had 21 personal fouls.

Jabari Smith Jr. is a player who was a major contributor for the game. He ended up with 24 points on 10 of 17 shooting. He played for 34 minutes played and pulled down 10 boards. Smith Jr. finished the game shooting 58.8% from the field and distributed 3 assists.

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Houston steps onto the court with a win-loss mark of 9-23 so far this year. They average 109.4 points per contest (28th in the NBA) while shooting 44.3% from the field. The Rockets are shooting 33.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (361 of 1,095) and 77.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Houston is collecting 46.8 boards per game and has racked up 687 dimes on the campaign, which has them ranked 30th in the league in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 17.3 times per game and as a group they are committing 20.6 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Rockets are forcing their opponents into 14.9 turnovers every game while drawing 22.3 fouls. They are ranked 14th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 815 surrendered so far this year. The Rockets defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 47.4% (1,334 of 2,812) and they concede 41.7 boards per game as a group. They are giving up 36.5% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 21st in the NBA in opponents points per game (115.3).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Bulls got the victory with a final of 118-117 when they played the Knicks. In the matter of attacking the glass, Chicago allowed New York to collect 47 overall (12 offensive). They finished the game shooting 45.7% from three-point range by going 16 of 35 and finished the game at 15 out of 26 at the charity stripe (57.7%). The Bulls permitted the Knicks to make 43 out of 86 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 50.0% for the game. At the conclusion of this game, the Bulls shot 45 out of 93 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 48.4%. When discussing shots from distance, Chicago knocked down 14 out of 31 tries (45.2%). They were able to make 14 of them for a percentage of 77.8%. The Knicks had 17 personal fouls in this game which took the Bulls to the free throw line for a total of 18 tries. They turned it over 4 times, while recording 6 steals for this game. The Bulls corralled 30 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 41 in the matchup.

Zach LaVine was important for the Bulls for this game. He converted 12 out of 22 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 54.5%, and had 4 rebounds. LaVine scored 33 points in his 37 mins of playing time and had 3 assists in the game.

Chicago has a record of 14-18 on the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Bulls are connecting on 48.3% from the floor, which is ranked 6th in the league. Chicago has accounted for 3,624 pts this season (113.3 per game) and they pull down 42.3 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 25.0 times per game (13th in the league) and they turn the ball over 14.3 times per contest. The Bulls are responsible for committing 19.8 fouls per game and they go 81.9% from the charity stripe.

The Chicago defense gives up 38.0% on 3-point attempts (435 of 1,146) and their opponents are converting on 78.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 26.6 assists and 43.4 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 29th and 15th in the league. The Bulls on the defensive end are ranked 18th in the league in PPG allowed with 114.5. They are able to force 15.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 47.9% from the floor (22nd in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Houston (+9)

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