Houston Rockets crush Chicago Bulls 120-97: NBA Recap
Chicago Bulls had never lost a game on Christmas day at home before, but this time around they ran into the red hot Houston Rockets and the result was disastrous. Four starters crossed the 20 point mark as the Rockets demolished
the Bulls 120-97 here at the United Center.
"If you can move your body and the ball, it's hard for the defense to get locked in." said Houston coach Kevin McHale and the Rockets moved the ball pretty well on the night.
James Harden led the Rockets with 26 points and also grabbed 5 rebounds, Chandler Parsons had 23 points while Jeremy Lin posted a double-double with 20 points and 11 assists for the night. Omer Asik returned to Chicago to give
a full court performance against his former franchise. He had 20 points and 18 rebounds on the night.
"Omer is a big-time player in the middle," Kevin McHale said. "Tonight he was blocking shots, getting rebounds, and out letting the ball for us. He's got a big body and sets wide picks for us. This was a very good game for him."
Bulls’ backup guard Nate Robinson came off the bench to score a night high 27 points while Marco Belinelli had 15 points for the Bulls, who shot 44.6 percent from the floor compared to a 56.1 percent shooting by the Rockets.
The Rockets started the second quarter with a 12-4 run to open up a 13 point lead and never looked back after that. Bulls could not come closer than 9 in the second quarter and the Rockets led 58-41 at halftime. Chicago tried to
comeback late in the game and rallied to reduce the deficit down to 85-100 but the Rockets put the breaks on their charge with a 6 nil spurt which pretty much sealed the deal.
Rockets outscored the Bulls 66-32 in the paint, 31-8 in transition, and led by as much as 35 points at one stage. They came into this game averaging the league’s highest 105.4 points per game while the Bulls entered with the third
lowest at 91 points.
Houston are flying sky high now and they have posted huge scores against two of the league’s best defensive teams. Rockets had downed the Memphis Grizzlies 121-96 in their last game and tonight’s performance speaks volume of their
offensive ability with Harden and Lin combining their efforts to turn Houston in one of the best offensive teams in the league.
Bulls allowed the 120 point mark to be broken for the first time this season and the 23 point loss is the season-worst loss for them. They will be looking to bounce back when they travel to Indianapolis to play against the Indiana
Pacers on Wednesday night.
Tags: