It was a rough night for the Chicago Bulls at Toyota Center last night, with the Houston Rockets getting their second win of the season with a 113 – 118 final score.
After going on an amazing run this season, the Bulls engine seems to have stalled, recording two losses in a row from teams at the bottom of their conferences. That the Bulls need to seriously look at some film over Thanksgiving was made painfully apparent after last night’s loss against the Rockets.
Houston, who came out on the court having won just one game this season, was supposed to be a nice and easy rebound form the shocking 77 – 109 loss against the Pacers at home. The Rockets were on a mind-bending 15-game losing streak, having won their season opener and nothing else since. Alas, Chicago failed to deliver, losing yet again, albeit this time by only 5 points.
What is even more disappointing about the final score at Toyota Center on Wednesday night was that the Bulls started the game just fine. Having secured a 2-point lead in the first quarter, Chicago went on to add another 7 points to their lead, going to half-time break 8 points ahead of the Rockets. Zach LaVine was on his way to scoring his 28 points for the night and the defense was strong, with Vucevic working on his double-double 14 points with 13 rebounds.
The teams that came out the locker rooms for the second half, however, appeared to be a mirror image of those in the first. The Rockets wasted no time not only erasing the 8-point deficit, but taking a 9-point lead themselves, all in the course of the 3rd quarter alone. The Bulls, meanwhile managed to score only 18 points in the 10-minute span of the third. The team improved in the final quarter, outscoring the Rockets 31 to 28, but Houston managed to guard their sizable lead and will have a great Thanksgiving, having snapped their daunting losing streak.
“We just came out and kind of messed around with the game, and before you know it, we’re down by 10 after being up by 10. I have to help this group solve it and figure that part of it out,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan lamented after the final whistle. Indeed, he does.
The Bulls, meanwhile, won’t have the chance to take on the festivities at home this year. Donovan’s team is traveling to Florida to play another bottom-of-the-table team, the Orlando Magic, on Friday. Usually, this game would be regarded as being “in the bag”, but considering the recent stretch of poor performance, anything appear to be possible.
