For Jeremy Lin, James Harden and the Houston Rockets, all they want for Christmas is four straight wins.
After their most impressive stretch of play this season-marked by the continuing excellence of Harden and a renewed vigor on offense by Lin--picking up wins over top contending teams the New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies, the Rockets are "all systems go" as the league's top offensive team (105.4 points per game) as they visit the United Center in Chicago Christmas night.
But to get the win, they're going to need to get past the Central Division-leading Bulls (15-11), who, despite still waiting on the return of their injured point guard superstar Derrick Rose, have won seven of their last 10 behind the solid plan of Joakim Noah.
Latinos Post breaks down the key matchups for tonight's game:
Power Forward: Marcus Morris, Rockets vs. Carlos Boozer, Bulls
As well as Morris has been playing for the Rockets, he's going to face a tough matchup tonight against Boozer, who has been solid as a rock for Chicago at the power forward slot, scoring 14.2 points with 9.3 rebounds for the month of December.
Both men match up as almost physical twins alongside each other, and both have solid defensive reps, so expect them to hang and bang with each other a lot during the night.
Advantage: Bulls
Center: Omer Asik, Rockets vs. Joakim Noah
The 26-year-old Turkish star Asik might as well be called "Ol' Reliable," as Asik, who has been consistent on both ends of the floor all season, provides stability in the center position for the Rockets, averaging 10.3 points and 10.1 rebounds this month.
But even with his defensive talents, he's going to be tested tonight against Noah, who has been flourishing in the last 10 games with 14.3 points and 12.0 rebounds in the paint. A pesky defender known for trash talking, look for Noah to lend a hand in trying to stop Harden or Lin from penetrating the paint.
Advantage: Bulls
Small Forward: Chandler Parsons, Rockets, vs. Luol Deng, Bulls
While he started off the season hot, Parsons has gone ice cold in the last few games, scoring under 10 points in the last three contests and struggling to find the range with his shots.
That doesn't bode well when he matches up against Deng, who has been scoring at a torrid pace for Chicago in December with 18.2 points and 6.7 rebounds.
Advantage: Bulls
Shooting guard: James Harden, Rockets vs. Marco Belinelli, Bulls
Marco Belinelli has been a pleasant surprise in the last 10 games, the five-year veteran scoring 16.3 points with a 42.7 percent shooting average.
But even with a solid shooting guard, Chicago doesn't have a player on this team-well, none on the active roster, discounting Rose--that can match up to Harden, who has been absolutely lethal in the last three games, averaging 30.6 points in a stretch of games involving tough defenses from New York and Memphis and shooting 48.7 percent in the last five games.
Belinelli will likely get some help on the inside, and perhaps some help with double-teams, but if Harden starts burning him with the outside shot, Chicago is in for a long night.
Advantage :Rockets
Point guard: Jeremy Lin, Rockets, vs. Kirk Hinrich, Bulls
Hinrich isn't a scorer. He's not supposed to be. Where his niche lies is in defense. A superior defender with a knack for hounding opponents, he's going to present an interesting challenge for Lin.
The Rockets' $25 million point guard, meanwhile, is looking more and more like his old self again, averaging 18.3 points to go with 8.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds in the last three games. He's found his touch, and his confidence. And if he keeps that momentum going tonight, the Rockets' back court could prove too much for even Chicago's defense.
Advantage: Rockets
Live Score & Live Streaming
Live Score available here: TV Companion
Game time starts at 8 p.m. For Live Streaming coverage of the game, go to NBA League Pass.
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