Rockets Fly into the Chi for Battle with Bulls
Bounce Back. Record Mirage. Deja Sengun.
The Rockets aim to right their ship on the road, as they visit the Chicago Bulls on the second stop of this six-game trip for Wednesday night tilt. Houston is coming off a loss to the Miami Heat, 120-113, on Monday night. The Rockets are looking for a bounce-back win against these Bulls tonight, but it will not be easy by any means. Chicago has won their last two games, albeit both victories came at the expense of the lowly Charlotte Hornets. Regardless, the Bulls have suffered through injury issues all season, and with a mark of 17-21, this Chicago team is better than their record implies. The Bulls are 12-9 at home this season, and currently sit in 9th place in the Eastern Conference.
All-Star guard Zach Lavine recently returned to the Bulls two games ago after a lengthy absence. And Andre Drummond is having a mid-season resurgence to his career. After starting center Nikola Vucevic went down with an injury for five games, and Drummond has stepped up admirably, looking like the rebounding king he was in his prime. Alperen Sengun has another tough matchup tonight, as he’ll have to contend with Chicago’s newest edition of the Twin Towers. Point guard Coby White is having a breakout season running the show for the Bulls, and we haven’t even mentioned their best player yet: DeMar DeRozan. The All-Star swingman is having another stellar year, averaging 22 points a contest. These four players, along with resident pest Alex Caruso, will be the focal point of Houston’s defense tonight.
The last time the Rockets played in Chicago Alperen Sengun had one of his best games of the season last year. Sengun scored 25 points (on a ridiculous 10-for-12 shooting night), grabbed 11 boards, and dished out 6 assists. Expect Houston’s best player to have a bounce-back performance after a somewhat sub-par showing in the loss on Monday night. Tari Eason and Dillon Brooks both remain out for the Rockets tonight. Houston has sorely missed their tenacity and energy on both ends, but especially defensively. The Rockets are simply a worse defensive unit without two of their best energizers. Houston needs to find a way to snap out of their defensive funk, and hope the Bulls aren’t as hot from downtown as the Heat were on Monday night. If the Rockets can hold the Bulls to an average shooting night, Houston has a great chance to right the ship on Wednesday night, as they face-off against a rising Bulls team aiming to keep their winning ways alive.
United Center: Chicago, Illinois
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (18-17): Black
Chicago Bulls (17-21): White
Tip-Off: 7:00 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass