The Houston Rockets will play the Chicago Bulls Monday in an inter-conference matchup. It's time continue our NBA odds series with a Rockets-Bulls prediction and pick.
The Rockets and Bulls will play on Monday as the NBA continues to navigate a Covid outbreak in the league. Houston is relatively unscathed to this point compared to other teams, while the Bulls are still in the process of working their way through an outbreak. Chicago got back star wing Demar DeRozan on Sunday night in their win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Zach LaVine is among Bulls players that have not yet cleared the Covid protocols. The Rockets currently do not have any players in Covid protocols. The Bulls still come into this matchup as favorites despite being a bit shorthanded.
Here is how FanDuel has set the Rockets-Bulls odds for this Monday NBA matchup.
NBA Odds: Rockets-Bulls Odds
Houston Rockets +7 (-114)
Chicago Bulls -7 (-106)
Over 222.5 (-110)
Under 222.5 (-110)
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Why The Rockets Could Cover The Spread
Houston does not have anyone currently in Covid protocols but they do have some other injury issues. Jalen Green (hamstring) and Kevin Porter Jr. (thigh) remain out in this one. The Rockets will rely on veterans Eric Gordon and DJ Augustin to hold down the backcourt again in this one, and that has been someone that has worked out better than expected of late. Houston has won six of their last ten games, and has covered in six of their last eight games.
The Rockets are 9-6-1 on the road vs. the spread this season, and 8-6-1 when being the underdog away from home. Houston is 16-13-1 overall against the spread.
Why The Bulls Could Cover The Spread
Chicago will be on a rest disadvantage in this spot after beating the Lakers on Sunday night. Getting DeRozan back was a big boost for the Bulls as he scored 38 points in the win. While the Bulls will likely still be without Zach LaVine in this one, they should still be able to cover and win shorthanded vs. the Rockets. The Bulls have been able to stay afloat as they still sit as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference behind the Brooklyn Nets, who are battling a much worse Covid situation on their roster at the moment.
The Bulls are 12-6 against the spread as the favorite this season, which is an impressive number. Chicago is 9-4 outright on their home floor this season and should be in good position for a cover and a win vs. the Rockets on Monday night. Being shorthanded on the back-to-back is an issue, however. Alize Johnson, Troy Brown, Matt Thomas and Ayo Dosunmu are still on the Covid list in addition to LaVine. All of the Bulls' starters played big minutes in their Sunday night win over LA, so it's possible they are even more shorthanded Monday if someone else is ruled out.
Check on the final injury reports before placing any bets on the NBA right now, as the Covid protocols are making injury reports a mess across the league. If the Bulls have all of their players who are currently listed as healthy on Monday, they should be able to win and cover too vs. an inferior Rockets group.
Final Rockets-Bulls Prediction and Pick
Take the Bulls to cover and win here but check the final injury reports before placing any bets.
Final Rockets-Bulls Prediction & Pick: Bulls -7 (-106)
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