Rockets’ Comeback Falls Short in Chicago After Brutal First Half
· Yahoo Sports
The Houston Rockets gave themselves no margin Monday night in Chicago — and even after nearly pulling off a wild comeback, it was too much to overcome.
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Houston fell 132-124 to the Bulls in the first game of a four-game road trip, dropping to 43-28 and slipping further in the Western Conference standings. The Rockets buried themselves early, fought all the way back, and ran out of time.
Chicago came out firing, hitting seven threes in the opening frame and jumping out to a 41-21 lead. Houston, meanwhile, couldn’t buy a shot, starting 0-for-9 from deep and falling behind by as many as 20 before the game had a chance to settle..
The Bulls pushed their lead to 22 early in the second, continuing to win the math battle from beyond the arc. By halftime, Chicago had already knocked down 11 threes, while the Rockets had just two- both coming late in the second quarter. Houston went into the break down 65-48, looking disconnected and a step behind on both ends.
Then, Kevin Durant opened the third quarter with three straight buckets, and the Rockets finally found some rhythm. Alperen Sengun, who the Bulls never fully committed to doubling, quietly dominated inside, finishing through contact and controlling the tempo. Houston chipped away, cutting the deficit to single digits by the end of the third- their first time within reach since the opening minutes.
By the fourth, it was a game. Sengun tied it at 106 with a few minutes to go, capping off one of the most efficient nights of his career- 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists on 16-of-19 shooting. Jabari Smith Jr. followed with a go-ahead three, giving Houston its first lead of the night.
For a moment, it felt like they were going to steal it, but every Rockets push had an answer.
Chicago responded with back-to-back threes late, part of a night where they hit 19 from deep at a 50-percent clip. Houston had its chances, including a pair of clutch threes from Durant, who finished with 40 points on 15-of-23 shooting, Houston couldn’t string together enough stops.
A late offensive foul on Durant wiped out momentum, and head coach Ime Udoka was ejected moments later as the game slipped away for good.
Chicago’s bench dominated 51-9, six Bulls scored 15 or more, and Houston left points at the line, going 15-of-24 on free throws. Even with Sengun’s triple-double and Durant’s scoring outburst, the early hole and perimeter defense proved too much.
The Rockets showed fight, but in the end, they gave up too much, and against a team shooting like that, there’s no room to recover.