The Bulls achieved their second consecutive victory by defeating the Rockets 120-100 in Houston on Monday night.
The Rockets played without Victor Oladipo, DeMarcus Cousins and Christian Wood. It is the eighth defeat in a row.
Here are 14 observations:
1 Stephen Silas trotted out of a five from 6 feet-6 or less with his exhausted team: John Wall, Eric Gordon, Jae’Sean Tate, Danuel House Jr. and PJ Tucker. In fact, Rodions Kurucs was the only active Rocket above 6-6.
two The Bulls responded well to that in the beginning, breaking a 20-2 streak in the first quarter to turn a 5-2 disadvantage into a 22-7 advantage. The Rockets pushed back with a 17-7 run to end the first fall with just five, and lost 54-48 in the interval.
3 – Coby White surpassed the gates to the sound of 13 points, the best mark of the game, in 6 of 11 shots at halftime (plus 7 rebounds). He left for the locker room at the start of the third after suffering a sharp fall contesting a John Wall fastbreak tray – and looking like he hit his head on the basket support – but returned to the game at the end of the period. He and Billy Donovan said that after the game he left because of a cut on his lip, so as not to enter the concussion protocol.
(White’s night ended with his third double-double of the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds. He took a spark from the back of the room to finish 10 to 16 on the floor and 4 to 7 out of 3. An electric act.)
4 By the time White was out of the game in the third, the Bulls had a hell of a 31-16 run, extending the advantage from 58-51 to 89-67. That third quarter, in which the Bulls built a 31-point lead, was basketball as torrid and efficient as they played throughout the season. Some zoom-ins:
- By overcoming Rockets 46-26 in the third, the Bulls posted their highest score in the fourth of the season, shooting 19 to 25 (76%) of the field, 7 to 9 (77.8%) of 3 and sling 10 assists.
- Zach LaVine scored 14 points out of 5 out of 5 shots, 3 out of 3 out of 3, after scoring just 7 (with 5 assists) in the first half.
- Thad Young added 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and countless magic moves during the race.
5 Wendell Carter Jr.’s departure should be in conversation for his best of the season – and certainly his best in five games since returning from injury. He finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals, handling the deal against the Rockets’ reduced frontline.
6 Patrick Williams also had a strong night with 14 and 7 boards. This dispute marked his 29th game of the season, the same as he played last season at Florida State.
7 White, Carter and Williams carried the load in the first half, before the floodgates opened. Often this season, the Bulls relied on LaVine’s heroism or their veterans’ game to distance themselves from opponents, so seeing three non-LaVine members of the “young core” make a significant impact was encouraging.
8 These veterans still filled the statistics sheet yet again, however. Young finished with 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Tomáš Satoranský scored 10 points and 4 coins. Garrett Temple his 2 3s.
9 After a night of 1 in 7 of 3, Denzel Valentine is now 2 in 20 behind the hoop in his last four games, although he played a strong dunk.
10 The Bulls placed six players in double digits and eliminated 50% of the field and 40% of the 3. Signs of a healthy attack.
11 I’m not sure if you can call it a “revenge game”, given the margin of defeat, but old friend David Nwaba achieved a career record with 22 points, accumulating 9 rebounds and 2 steals with his typical hyperactivity.
12 One statistic that Donovan will like: The Bulls made only 12 spins in this one. They came into play with an average of 13.1 turnovers per game in February – 10 in the NBA and well below their average of 16.1 in the season’s ranking, 29th.
13 The Bulls also held the Rockets with less than 40 percent shots and overtook them by nine. Feathers on the lid of a defense that looks better lately …
14 … and a comfortable win to move to 14-16. Those kinds of victories – the easy ones against inferior competitions on paper – haven’t happened in the past few seasons.
Next: Back home to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
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