Bulls vs Rockets

Houston leans on Kevin Durant to snap a three-game losing streak at home against a Bulls squad that just halted its own three-game skid but still sits underwater at 18-20. With Josh Giddey and Coby White sidelined alongside multiple frontcourt pieces, Chicago’s playmaking and shot creation are thinned out, while Houston’s injuries to Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet and depth forwards are buffered by Durant’s elite usage and Amen Thompson’s all-court impact. Sengun has historically torched the Bulls in this matchup, but even without him the Rockets’ remaining top-end talent and home-court profile as clearly superior to a depleted Chicago rotation that’s been wildly inconsistent on the road. Given the talent gap, home dominance and each team’s current trajectory in their respective playoff races, I expect Houston to win outright at roughly the rate implied by -650, making this a high-likelihood but low-value play that I grade as a B- overall. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 13/01/2026 09:40

Chicago’s shorthanded backcourt and Houston’s own injury issues have both clubs trending away from the free-flowing, high-efficiency offenses they flashed earlier in the season, which makes the under 224.5 at -118 more attractive than the raw scoring averages suggest. The Bulls are scoring well on paper but now lack Giddey’s primary initiation and White’s on-ball gravity, while the Rockets are navigating life without their offensive hub in Sengun and their ACL-sidelined floor general in VanVleet, leaning heavier on Durant’s isolation work and Thompson’s rim pressure. Last year’s meetings with a healthy Sengun and a fuller Chicago roster produced tight, high-scoring games, but this version of the matchup points to more half-court possessions, fewer easy paint touches for Houston, and a Bulls offense that’s likely to bog down in a tough road environment. Factoring in both teams’ current skids, injuries to key creators and the shift toward slower, mismatch-hunting lineups, I like the under here as a modest edge and grade it a solid B. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 13/01/2026 09:40

Amen Thompson and Durant should still drive a Rockets win, but with Houston on a three-game slide and missing Sengun and VanVleet, I prefer taking Chicago +12.5 at -110 against such a hefty number. Even with Giddey and White out, the Bulls can still run plenty of offense through Nikola Vucevic on the block, Buzelis’ versatile scoring and Ayo Dosunmu’s downhill game, and this core has already shown it can hang around against quality teams on the road. Houston has handled Chicago in the recent series overall, yet last season’s tight 117-114 home win saw the Rockets fail to cover a smaller spread even with Sengun dominating inside, which hints at how this matchup can stay within single digits when Chicago’s size and effort on the glass show up. Given Houston’s current form, the injury-driven drop in their interior advantage and the likelihood that they prioritize getting a steady home win over running up the score in the middle of a long season, I see meaningful value on the underdog and grade Bulls +12.5 as a B+ pick. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 13/01/2026 09:40