Houston Rockets vs. Chicago Bulls game preview

The Houston Rockets begin a 10-day, six game homestand tonight against the Chicago Bulls.

Two nights ago, Rockets fans finally saw their prized rookie Jabari Smith Jr. have a great game. Jabari won’t score 30 points every night, but no one is asking him to do so. Houston just wants him shooting with confidence over the contest like he did at Auburn. At times this season, he’s oscillated between having zero confidence and forcing shots just to work through his issues. The Indiana game seemed to be a breakthrough. Now comes the hardest part for young players in the NBA: consistency.

The Bulls are 30-36 and just half a game outside of the play-in tournament in the East. They received the tough news that Lonzo Ball will need another knee surgery. However, with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic, they have enough offense to be in any game.

Tip-off is at 7pm CT on AT&T SportsNet Southwest