Skid brought to halt at last
House, Wood lead first winning effort since 2nd game, but Green injured
In a two-possession game late in the third quarter, an exchange took place at the top of the key between Rockets rookie center Alperen Sengun and veteran guard D.J. Augustin.
Augustin handed the ball off to Sengun and cut into the paint, looking for a bounce pass. A Bulls defender noticed, too, and moved in lock step with Augustin toward the basket.
The play might have broken down into a turnover, as it had for the Rockets in so many games before. But Sengun thought better of it and found guard Eric Gordon on the wing behind the 3-point line. Gordon swished a 3 in front of the Rockets’ bench, which exploded in jubilation behind him like a Renaissance painting backdrop as Houston took an 87-82 lead.
The Rockets did experience a Renaissance of sorts Wednesday night, when they avoided their typical third-quarter struggles and instead outscored Chicago 35-18 to take a 90-82 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Bulls entered Toyota Center one game back from the top of the Eastern Conference standings, likely believing that the hapless 1-16 Rockets were their ticket to the top spot.
Instead, the Rockets forced an end to their 15game losing streak with a 118113 victory over the Bulls. They did so without rookie Jalen Green for three quarters, with a small lineup and with timely if not unexpected contributions from previously unheralded rotation players.
Danuel House Jr. provided a third-quarter spark off the bench and led the Rockets with 18 points. Armoni Brooks and Garrison Mathews buoyed Houston’s outside shooting and were among eight players to score in double figures. Kevin Porter Jr. scored 14 points and dished nine assists, one shy of his season high. Christian Wood (16 points) and Sengun (13) dominated both ends of the floor.
The Rockets shot a miraculous 50 percent from the field in addition to a seasonbest 47.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Houston’s spacing was optimal in the early minutes, with a small lineup consisting of Wood at center allowing for plenty of pickand-pop opportunities while drawing Chicago big man Nikola Vucevic out of the paint. Wood, who two nights earlier went scoreless without a shot attempt in the first quarter at Boston and finished with four points, had 10 points on 4of-6 shooting in the first quarter.
The Rockets played the Bulls close for the first quarter as neither team led by more than five points, but took a hit when Green, who scored 11 points in 11 minutes, departed the game with a left leg injury and did not return.
The Rockets stayed small for most of the game, with Sengun spelling Wood at center. Daniel Theis, though available, did not play.
The Bulls began the second quarter on a 13-5 run against a Rockets lineup primarily consisting of reserves. The Rockets could not stifle the 3-point shootingof Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine but matched the frenetic pace by scoring inside.
Houston ended the first half down 64-55, a deficit much wider than it truly felt. The Rockets shot 52.3 percent in the first half but just 26.7 percent from 3point range; conversely, the Bulls shot 56.2 percent (9 of 16) from beyond the arc and 46.3 percent from the field.
In the third quarter, the Bulls widened their lead back out to double figures as the Rockets were besieged by turnovers and missed five consecutive shots. It appeared to be the same old story before House checked into the game and scored back-to-back buckets. Minutes later, Brooks’ second 3pointer in the span of three possessions capped a 13-2 Rockets run. Mathews pumped his fist in triumph after nailing another corner 3-pointer soon after.
Houston made eight of its 11 3-point attempts in the third quarter and mixed in a few minutes of zone defense to neutralize Chicago’s offense.
The Bulls refused to say die and though the Rockets threatened to unravel in the fourth quarter with hurried turnovers and poor transition defense, big shots from House and Mathews carried Houston over the finish line.
When the final buzzer sounded, streamers drifted down from the rafters as “Celebration” blared from the speakers.
A miserable month had finally culminated, on Thanksgiving Eve, in something for the Rockets to be grateful for.