The Chicago Bulls look to bounce back against the Houston Rockets and Kevin Durant, who recently passed Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list.
The Chicago Bulls look to avoid a three game losing streak when they take on the Houston Rockets on Monday night at the United Center. The last time these two teams played Houston finished with a +8 advantage in points in the paint and a +10 advantage in total rebounds. In that same game, Kevin Durant led the way with 28 points while Alperen Sengun had a double-double with 23 points and 11 assists vs. only three turnovers.
On Monday night the Bulls will have to do a much better job of containing Sengun without help/double teams, if they want to prevent him from constantly finding open shooters and cutters.
Chicago will have some reinforcements in terms of players returning to action. Billy Donovan will surely hope that Chicago having most of their guard rotation available gives them an easier path to keeping up offensively with a Houston team that gives the Bulls plenty of problems inside the paint.
While Chicago will have some reinforcements it will hurt them to have big man Guerschon Yabusele out. Although he isn’t very tall for a modern big, his strength and physicality make him a decently large part of the Bulls frontcourt puzzle.
It’s safe to assume Chicago will have a tough time containing Durant no matter who is available, so it will be all the more important for Chicago to focus on slowing down the rest of Houston’s physical frontcourt.
Here’s everything you need to know about Bulls versus Rockets on Monday night:
How to Watch: Chicago Bulls (28-42) vs. Houston Rockets (43-27)
Location: United Center | Chicago, Illinois
Tipoff: Monday, Mar. 23, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. CT
TV: CHSN | Announcers: Adam Amin, Stacey King
Radio: 104.3 The Score | Announcers: Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington
Betting Odds (DraftKings)
Betting Line: Bulls +9.5 (-118)
Moneyline: Bulls +295
Over/Under: 233.5 (-115)
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Injury Report
Chicago Bulls
Guerschon Yabusele: OUT (Ankle)
Anfernee Simons: OUT (Wrist)
Isaac Okoro: OUT (Knee)
Jaden Ivey: Out (Knee)
Zach Collins: Out (Right toe)
Noa Essengue: Out (Shoulder)
Houston Rockets
Steven Adams: OUT (Left ankle)
Fred VanVleet: OUT (ACL)
Last Game Starters
Chicago Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (March 19)
- G Josh Giddey
- G Tre Jones
- G Collin Sexton
- F Matas Buzelis
- C Nick Richards
Houston Rockets vs. Miami Heat (March 21)
- G Reed Sheppard
- F Jabari Smith Jr.
- F Kevin Durant
- F Amen Thompson
- C Alperen Sengun