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To cap off the second night in a row, the Bulls outscored the Rockets 125-120 at United Center, opening a two-game winning streak.
Because every game this season seems to call for a rating like this: John Wall and Danuel House missed this one for Houston. The Bulls, meanwhile, played without Otto Porter Jr. (lower back strain) and Patrick Williams (hip contusion).
Here is what stands out:
Sloppy start …
Without two of their most solid presences on the wing, reasonable observers might have worried about the Bulls’ defense, which came into play ranked 27th in the NBA, in this one.
But the Rockets made it easy for them early on with sloppy play. The visitors finished the first quarter with nine turnovers, a 6-for-18 shot from the floor and just 16 points – a low of the season for a Bulls opponent.
Don’t get me wrong: the Bulls weren’t in sterling either. They spat six slippers on their own under the opening and started cold off the ground. But a push from Ryan Arcidiacono to the buzzer gave them a 12 point lead after a:
By the final buzzer, the teams that entered the evening placed 25th (Rockets) and 29th (Bulls) in combined turnovers per game for 34 of them – 17 each.
… followed by a superfluous shot
In the second, the Bulls’ lead swelled to 17, but the Rockets fought back, reducing their deficit to 12 at halftime behind a scorching 3-point shot (6 for 10, although the Bulls went 7- for-13 full-fledged).
This scorching fire from both sides continued in the second half. The Rockets repeated their 6-for-10 performance from long range in the third, while the Bulls shot 5-for-10. Entering the fourth, each side was above 44% to 3 of 65 combined attempts.
And by the end of the night, the Bulls (20-for-45, 44.4%) and Rockets (17-for-40, 42.5%) combined for 37 long balls. This is the Bulls’ second game this season with 20 or more 3 facts.
The Bulls, for the second time in franchise history, also had five players who could have more than three triples:
Add to that the fact that seven of their 10-player rotation scored in double digits, and all but Adam Mokoka (who only registered two minutes) scored seven or more, and it was a well-balanced attack for the hosts in it.
Star shooting
After a slow start, this second quarter saw the stars wake up.
Victor Oladipo, in his Rockets debut after being traded for Caris LeVert as part of James Harden’s vast trade, cooked, scoring 12 points on a 5v7 shot.
And Zach LaVine, after struggling out of the gate with four runs (all on free throws) and four turnovers in the opening 18 minutes of the game, responded. He scored nine points (4 for 5 on shooting) and an assist in the final five and a half minutes of the first half to ward off the Rockets, who at one point moved closer to single digits. Two Lauri Markkanen 3s in this quarter also helped.
LaVine added 14 more to help the Bulls come out of the third quarter 93-86 despite the Rockets shooting within three points. He only scored six in the fourth quarter, but a superb set-up helped the Bulls extend their lead to 116-111 with less than two minutes to go after an Oladipo 3 shot the Rockets again in a possession.
Oladipo closed the evening with 32 points; LaVine led all scorers with 33 on an efficient 11-for-16 (4-for-8 of 3), plus seven assists, two steals a block and a 7-for-8 free shot. Twenty of those points and five of those assists came in the second half, while his five turnovers seem less unsightly considering how many of them came early.
Christian Wood, too, came out on top as the game progressed. Between quarters two and four, he had 22 points on a 10 for 12 shot, finishing 25 for 11 for 16 (3 for 5 of 3) and a number of domineering dunks. He didn’t pick up another foul after being called out for his third personal game in the second quarter.
Ride the reserves
A day after a 61-point performance against the shorthanded Mavericks, the Bulls bench again provided a spark against a somewhat exhausted Rockets rotation. The hosts won the bench points battle 41-28.
For the second game in a row, Daniel Gafford recorded punchy minutes, totaling seven points, two blocks and one steal. Donovan called his DNP in Markkanen’s first game of Health and Safety Protocols a game-based decision, and it looks like he will continue to play a stable role for this team.
With Williams and Porter out, Denzel Valentine returned to the rotation after not playing against the Mavericks. Frankly, this was the most Denzel Valentine game my young eyes had seen. He recorded 24 chaotic, undeniably valuable minutes, and scored 13 points, hit three 3s, captured eight rebounds and finished with an individual point differential of over 14.
Thad Young (12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a team-top plus-15) and Arcidiacono (nine points, two assists) again stabilized the forces, and Garrett Temple – running with the starters in place of Williams – continued his strong game with 13 points and three 3s facts.
Another gash in the belt of this booming unit.
Building momentum
Although the outcome of it stuck for part of the fourth quarter, the Bulls sidestepped the Rockets and came out victorious. A drained Markkanen 3 to move them forward 119-113 with 46.9 seconds to play the chilled, and, in particular, got an assist from LaVine.
Markkanen closed another tight contest in the middle, surrounded by Young, Temple, LaVine and White. This blow validated the call. Eleven of his 12 field goal attempts from 3 points aren’t ideal, but his 18 points and seven rebounds build on a solid period of play.
And just like that, the Bulls have a winning streak on their hands. They had two straight wins and moved to 6-8, right in the middle of a packed field at the start of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Next stop: En route to face the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
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