Rockets rally, take down Bulls to end 15-game skid
Danuel House Jr. #4 of the Houston Rockets dishes a pass during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Toyota Center on November 24, 2021 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Carmen Mandato / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Danuel House Jr. scored 18 points off the bench and served as the spark plug as the Houston Rockets snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 118-113 win over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday at Toyota Center.
House nailed a 3-pointer with 2:23 left to stall what was a 14-3 Bulls run to within a three-point deficit. House added a pair of critical free throws after Garrison Mathews sank a corner 3 out of a Chicago defensive trap that lifted the Rockets to a 114-108 lead with 25.5 seconds remaining.
Article continues after this advertisementHouse and Mathews (12 points) both scored in double digits off the bench. The Rockets received 59 bench points while four starters also scored in double figures, paced by Christian Wood, who paired 16 points with 10 rebounds. His sixth and final assist set up the Mathews 3.
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Zach LaVine paced the Bulls with 28 points while Lonzo Ball scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half. DeMar DeRozan added 17 points, Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Alex Caruso scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, including two late 3s to fuel the rally.
Article continues after this advertisementA LaVine 3-pointer combined with a DeRozan baseline fadeaway jumper enabled the Bulls to claim a double-digit lead before the Rockets roared back behind their hot-shooting reserves.
Armoni Brooks, Alperen Sengun and House all drilled 3-pointers as the Rockets turned a 13-2 run into a 90-82 lead entering the fourth. Houston received 24 points from its bench in the third quarter and shot 8 of 11 from behind the arc. House keyed the surge with 10 points in the frame.
Rockets rookie Jalen Green scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first period, and his two free throws at the 1:39 mark gave Houston a 26-25 lead. But Green departed shortly thereafter with a lower leg injury and the Bulls closed the period with an Ayo Dosunmu three-point play and a pair of DeRozan jumpers that pushed Chicago to a 32-30 lead entering the second.
Despite shooting 52.3 percent prior to the intermission, the Rockets trailed 64-55 entering the break. Turnovers again proved their undoing, with 10 leading to 16 points for the Bulls. Houston also missed 11 of 15 3-pointers in the first half and surrendered a 7-0 spurt to close the half that allowed Chicago, which finished plus-10 in field goal attempts in the half, to extend its lead.
