Chicago @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 8, 2018 ) Houston 116, Chicago 107

The Houston Rockets are close to clinching the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs and already set a franchise record for wins, but that doesn't mean they plan on taking their foot off the gas. The Rockets will try to run their latest winning streak to double digits when they host the lowly Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.

Houston star James Harden bolstered his MVP credentials with a triple-double on Sunday in a 118-99 rout of the Atlanta Hawks that cliched the team's first 60-win campaign. The Rockets, who own a 5 1/2-game lead over the injury-depleted Golden State Warriors, are winners of 26 of their last 27 games -- with the lone loss in that span coming by three points at East-best Toronto on March 9 -- and will play five of their final eight games at home. The Bulls are losers of five in a row and aren't even getting a chance to look at their three best young players as Lauri Markkanen (back), Kris Dunn (toe) and Zach LaVine (knee) sit out. "One thing we talked about after the game, stay with it, stay together and keep going out there and battling every time we step on the floor and do it with chemistry and as a unit," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after Saturday's 117-95 loss at Detroit. "That's all you can do at this point."


TV: 8 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)

ABOUT THE BULLS (24-49): Markkanen and Dunn are both questionable for Tuesday while LaVine is expected to be out until early April, and other young players are trying to step up. Small forward Denzel Valentine averaged 19 points while going 14-of-27 from the floor in the last two games, including 8-of-14 from beyond the arc. Cameron Payne is starting at point guard in place of Dunn and scored in double figures in each of the last three games -- his longest run of the season.


ABOUT THE ROCKETS (60-14): Harden collected 18 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds in Sunday's win but is expected to sit out on Tuesday to rest. Point guard Chris Paul, who sat out the last three games with a sore hamstring, is expected to return and will share backcourt duties with Eric Gordon, who is averaging 20.3 points over the last four contests. Reserve shooting guard Gerald Green is another candidate to see more playing time after he went off for 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting in 32 minutes against Atlanta.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Bulls SG Justin Holiday is 3-of-21 from 3-point range over the last five games.

2. Rockets PF Luc Mbah a Moute (knee) sat out the last two games and is expected to miss at least one more.

3. Paul and Gordon scored 24 points apiece in Houston's 116-107 win at Chicago on Jan. 8.

PREDICTION: Rockets 116, Bulls 92