Rockets Aim for Seven Straight Wins in H-Town Clash with Bulls
March Gladness. Sneaking Up. High Leverage Necessity.
With March Madness in full swing, the surging Houston Rockets return home to host the Chicago Bulls. These teams are rising in their respective conferences, trying to get back to .500 in the standings. Chicago is 10th in the weaker Eastern Conference, and will likely secure a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Houston sits in 11th place out West, with a more difficult path to the Play-In. The Rockets will need to rely on the Golden State Warriors or Los Angeles Lakers losing the majority of their final games to have a chance. The Bulls won the first matchup between these squads, beating Houston in Chicago, 124-119, back on January 10th. Entering tonight’s matchup, Houston is playing their best basketball of the season. The Rockets have seemingly ended their road woes, and return to H-Town seeking a season-high seventh straight win. Houston now owns the longest winning streak in the Western Conference, and the second longest in the entire league only to the NBA-leading Boston Celtics.
With their brilliant play of late, the Rockets are sneaking back into the playoff picture out in the Western Conference. Houston trails the Warriors by three games for the 10th and final Play-In position. They will also host the Warriors on April 4th in what could be a very high leverage contest. It’s been nearly three years since Houston has played meaningful games in March and April. This team was 27-35 only a few weeks ago, and seemingly out of the picture entirely. With this winning streak, the Rockets have made a realistic push to sneak into Play-In. It’s still a long shot and the odds are still against Houston, but if the squad keeps winning, they could potentially surprise the Warriors and knock them out of contention, essentially ending any memories of the fizzling Bay Area dynasty.
Tonight’s tilt with the Bulls is the first of three straight winnable games at home for the Rockets. After tonight, they host the Jazz followed by the Trail Blazers, two teams below Houston in the standings. This Bulls team has been playing well since they lost Zach LaVine to a season-ending injury earlier in the campaign. Chicago has won three of their past four games overall, and they sit only a game below .500, sporting a 34-35 record. The Rockets are aiming for that mark with a seventh straight win tonight. They’ll need to buckle down defensively on DeMar DeRozan, and contain Nikola Vucevic in the paint. Although he’s not playing, tonight is Tari Eason Bobble Head night inspired by Spider Man at Toyota Center. Hopefully the Rockets on the floor will be inspired to play with the defensive swagger and hustle that embodies Eason’s game. The Bulls have played ten overtime games so far this season, by far the most in the entire league. With both these teams on the rise, expect a close and competitive contest at Toyota Center. If Houston continues to play with defensive intensity, and Jalen Green continues to shine, the Rockets should swipe their seventh win in a row tonight.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Chicago Bulls (34-35): Black
Houston Rockets (33-35): Red
Tip-Off: 7:00 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass