The Chicago Bulls (28-38) and Houston Rockets (42-25) will meet in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The game will broadcast live on NBA League Pass.
The Rockets are 8-point favorites over the Bulls on the spread (Rockets -8), with the over/under set at 229 total points. Houston is a -350 favorite to win outright, while Chicago is +275 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Bulls vs. Rockets predictions and NBA picks for Saturday, March 15.
Bulls vs. Rockets Picks, Prediction
My Rockets vs. Bulls best bet is on Nikola Vucevic Under 26.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists, with the best line currently available at Fanatics. But as always, make sure to shop for the best line using our live NBA odds page.
My Pick: Nikola Vucevic Under 26.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists
Bulls vs Rockets Odds
| Bulls Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8 -110 | 229 -110o / -110u | +275 |
| Rockets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8 -110 | 229 -110o / -110u | -350 |
- Bulls vs. Rockets spread: Rockets -8
- Bulls vs. Rockets over/under: 229 total points
- Bulls vs. Rockets moneyline: Bulls +275, Rockets -350
- Bulls vs. Rockets best bet:Nikola Vucevic Under 26.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-115)
Bulls vs. Rockets Preview
This line seems to expect Vucevic to have a 30-minute role, but we haven't seen that since his return from an injury absence. He's played 24 and 23 minutes in his first 2 games back for the Bulls.
Vucevic didn't see the floor in the 4th quarter of a tight game on Thursday against Brooklyn. Zach Collins came in for him with 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, which is a fairly standard pattern.
Instead of Vucevic returning midway through the 4th quarter like usual, Collins just played the rest of the game. The pair appear to be splitting the center minutes, along with a minute or two for Matas Buzelis and/or Patrick Williams.
Houston is a nightmare matchup for centers. They allow the 2nd-fewest points, 4th-fewest rebounds, and 3rd-fewest assists to the position. Overall, the Rockets rank 2nd in defensive rating, 1st in rebounding rate, and 1st in opponent-assisted field goal rate. They're the worst possible matchup for across-the-board production.
Vucevic will likely have a tough time putting up a stat per minute, and he'll have to be even better than that if he's still capped at minutes in the mid-20s.
Best Bet: Nikola Vucevic Under 26.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-115)
Bulls vs. Rockets Betting Predictions
By Vince Akins
The Rockets are 6-0 ATS since February 26 as a favorite on less than 2 days of rest. However, I'm also banking on some historical trends in this spot:
- Teams that are more than six-point underdogs when they are on a 3+ game winning streak are 397-524 ATS in the last 921 instances.
- Teams that are more than six-point favorites in matchups against teams that both boast combined margins of at least +15 over their last three games are 581-449 ATS.
- Teams that had 28+ fast break points last game and scored 7+ points more than expected are 389-317 ATS their next time out.
Lay the points with Houston.
Pick: Rockets -8 (-110)
Same Game Parlay Picks
- Nikola Vucevic Under 26.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists
- Rockets -8
Parlay Payout: +180
Rockets vs. Bulls Betting Trends
