Rockets vs. Bulls Pre-Game 12/26/22

Rockets Visit Bulls to Begin Three-Game Road Trip

Back on the Road.    Three Game Set.    Change of Scenery.

After spending a few weeks in Houston, the hardened Rockets hit the road and head north to start their post-Christmas stretch of the schedule. Houston begins with a three game road trip that starts in Chicago. The Bulls have won three straight, and are coming off an impressive one-point road victory over the New York Knicks. Houston is currently mired in a five-game losing-streak, that feels more like ten games. The Rockets just completed their longest home-stand of the season, playing their last seven games at home. After winning the first two, Houston has dropped five consecutive contests. Tonight’s matchup against the Bulls is also the first set of a back-to-back for the Rockets. Tomorrow night Houston travels to Boston to battle the team with the NBA’s best record in the Celtics. On Thursday, they head south to Dallas to face Luka and the Mavs once again. So tonight, realistically, is the Rockets’ best chance to get a victory.

Hopefully a change of scenery will provoke some change in Houston’s play on the court. The Rockets went 6-4 in their previous ten games, before losing five in a row. The squad will look to get back on track in the Windy City on Monday night. Chicago is 14-18 on the season, but have won their past three games as they try and develop some consistency and escape their poor start to the season. The Rockets haven’t played a road game since December 8th, in San Antonio. Maybe Houston became too comfortable playing at home, especially with the holidays approaching. Tonight, expect the Rockets to play more as a cohesive unit on the road.

If any good news came to Rockets fans over Christmas, it was a sliver of hope. The potential return of a man who once was the face of the franchise. A grizzled veteran that realized he made the mistake by leaving H-Town. Now older and wiser, is a return realistically a potential in the future. We’ll have to wait for the NBA’s offseason, the wildest in all of sports… to find out if the man with the Beard from up North is ready to make his Hardened return.

United Center:  Chicago, Illinois

 

Jersey Colors:

Houston Rockets (9-23):  Black

Chicago Bulls (14-18):  White

 

Tip-Off:  7:00 PM CT

TV:  AT&T Sportsnet SW,  NBA League Pass