Saturday, March 5, 2016

United Center

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The Houston Rockets travel to United Center to play the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, March 5, 2016. The opening line for this game has Houston as 1 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 217.

The Rockets come into this game with an overall record of 30-31 and a road record of 13-17. They are 4th in the Southwest Division. They currently have a point differential of -1.4 as they are averaging 105.6 points per game while giving up 106.9 per contest. Houston is 7-7 against division opponents and they have a conference record of 22-19. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games. The Bulls have an overall record of 30-30 and a home record of 19-11. They currently are 4th in the Central Division. They are averaging 101.5 points per game and surrendering 102.8, good for a point differential of -1.2. Chicago has a division record of 6-5 and a conference record of 18-19. In their last 10 games they are 3-7.

James Harden comes into this contest averaging 28.7 points per game while playing 37.7 minutes per night so far this season for the Rockets. He pulls down 6.4 rebounds per game and dishes out 7 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 43% while his free throw percentage is currently at 87%. Dwight Howard averages 14.9 points per game in 32.6 minutes per contest this season. He averages 1.4 assists per contest and 12 rebounds per game for Houston. His field goal percentage is 61% for the year while his free throw percentage is 52%.

Pau Gasol averages 16.9 points per game while playing 32 minutes per contest this year for the Bulls. He grabs 10.9 rebounds per game and has 3.8 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 47% and his free throw percentage currently is at 81%. Derrick Rose averages 16.5 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 31.9 minutes per contest. He also averages 3.6 rebounds per contest and 4.8 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 42% and his free throw percentage is 80%.

Houston averages 105.6 points per contest this season which ranks them 5th in the NBA. Their average scoring margin is -1.4 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them ranked 20th. Behind the arc they shoot 35% which is good for 19th in the league. They average 52.9 rebounds per game and 21.6 assists per game which ranks them 10th and 18th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 27th with 16.3 per game. The Rockets allow 106.9 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 26th in the league. They also allow a 46% shooting percentage and a 37% average from behind the arc ranking them 25th and 22nd in those defensive categories. Opponents average 53.5 rebounds a game which ranks 22nd and they give up 24.5 assists per contest which puts them in 30th place in the league. They force 16.6 turnovers per game which ranks them 3rd in the league.

Chicago averages 101.5 points per game this year which ranks them 17th in the league. Their average scoring margin is -1.2 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them sitting in the 27th spot in the league. Behind the arc they shoot 36% which is good for 4th in the NBA. They average 56.4 rebounds per game and 22.2 assists per contest which ranks them 2nd and 14th respectively. In the turnover department the Bulls rank 12th with 13.9 per game. The Bulls allow 102.8 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 17th in the league. They also allow a 44% shooting percentage and a 33% average from behind the arc ranking them 3rd and 4th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 55.4 rebounds a game which ranks 29th and they give up 22.3 assists per contest which puts them in 17th place in the league. The Bulls force 11.8 turnovers per game which ranks them 29th in the NBA.

The Rockets average 107.1 points per game on the road this season and they have scored 105 ppg in their past 3 contests. They have an average scoring differential of -2.1 on the road and in their past 3 games their difference is -4 per contest. The Rockets have an offensive rating of 107.1 and a defensive rating of 108.5. In terms of pace they average 97.6 possessions per 48 minutes and their effective field goal percentage is 51%. As a team they have a true shooting percentage of 55% and they shoot 3 pointers on 38% of their shots. Houston turns the ball over an average of 14.5 times per 100 possessions and they force 14.8 on the defensive end. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the season currently is 52%.

The Bulls score 101.2 ppg at home and they have averaged 98.3 points per contest in their last 3 games. They have an average scoring differential of -13 in their past 3 contests and at home this season they have a difference of 1.4 points per game. The Bulls rating on offense is 103.7 and they have a defensive rating of 105. They get 96.4 possessions per 48 minutes and they have an effective field goal percentage of 48%. As a unit they have a true shooting percentage of 52% and they attempt 3 pointers on 23% of their shot attempts. Chicago turns the ball over on 12.4 out of every 100 possessions and their opponents average 10.5 turnovers per 100 possessions. Their defensive effective field goal percentage for the year is 48%.

Houston Rockets Betting Trends

The Houston Rockets are 26-35-0 against the spread

The Houston Rockets are 35-24-2 against the over/under

Chicago Bulls Betting Trends

The Chicago Bulls are 23-37-0 against the spread

The Chicago Bulls are 31-28-1 against the over/under

Houston Rockets Injuries

03/04/16 F Trevor Ariza Knee probable Saturday vs. Chicago

Chicago Bulls Injuries

03/04/16 G Jimmy Butler Knee is upgraded to probable Saturday vs. Houston
03/04/16 F Taj Gibson Hamstring "?" Saturday vs. Houston
01/27/16 F Nikola Mirotic Appendix out indefinitely
01/25/16 C Joakim Noah Shoulder out indefinitely

Guy's Pick: Take Chicago

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