Houston Rockets 109 Chicago Bulls 94-Recap

Dec 18, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Chicago Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer (5) dunks the ball against Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports

It took the nearly 3 quarters for the Houston Rockets to pull away, but they were able to come out with a win in head coach Kevin McHale’s return to the team after the death of his mother.

Dwight Howard led the way with 23 points and 9 rebounds, while James Harden, who suffered a sprained ankle in Sunday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, added 19 points and 6 assists. Chandler Parsons finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds, and Patrick Beverley scored 15 points.

The Rockets shot 54 percent from the field, and dominated the low post, gaining a 66-40 advantage in points in the paint. Playing without Jeremy Lin once again, Omri Casspi scored 11 points off the bench, and Francisco Garcia added 9 points.

Chicago Bulls

STARTERS

MIN

FG

3PFG

FT

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

29

7-15

0-0

3-4

3

3

6

2

2

0

5

3

-14

17

35

7-15

1-3

3-5

0

5

5

4

1

0

2

2

-14

18

32

3-8

0-0

0-2

3

7

10

3

0

1

2

4

-7

6

31

2-6

2-4

2-2

0

2

2

9

2

0

1

3

-20

8

35

8-15

1-1

3-5

1

0

1

0

2

0

1

1

-11

20

BENCH

MIN

FG

3PFG

FT

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

0

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

+2

0

30

6-9

0-0

2-4

2

2

4

1

0

0

3

2

-9

14

20

4-8

1-3

0-1

0

3

3

1

1

0

2

1

-9

9

6

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

+2

0

4

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

1

0

0

1

1

0

0

17

1-3

0-1

0-0

0

2

2

4

0

1

0

2

+5

2

DNP BACK INJURY

TOTALS

FG

3PFG

FT

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

PTS

Fast break points:   7
Points in the paint:   40
Total Team Turnovers (Points off turnovers):   17 (15)

Houston Rockets

STARTERS

MIN

FG

3PFG

FT

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

34

11-14

0-0

1-1

1

8

9

0

1

1

2

2

+19

23

27

2-8

0-3

1-1

1

4

5

6

1

1

0

2

+8

5

36

8-14

3-4

0-1

2

7

9

3

0

1

2

2

+7

19

34

5-9

2-4

3-5

0

1

1

3

0

0

0

1

+4

15

36

7-13

1-4

4-4

0

4

4

6

3

0

7

3

+22

19

BENCH

MIN

FG

3PFG

FT

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

14

2-3

0-0

0-0

1

1

2

0

0

0

1

3

-4

4

3

1-2

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

+1

2

21

3-7

1-4

4-4

2

1

3

0

1

0

1

2

+7

11

18

1-6

0-1

0-0

1

2

3

4

1

0

0

3

+6

2

19

4-6

1-2

0-0

1

0

1

0

0

2

0

4

+5

9

DNP COACH’S DECISION

DNP RIGHT THIGH CONTUSION

DNP BACK SPASMS

TOTALS

FG

3PFG

FT

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

PTS

The Bulls were able to keep the game close throughout the first half with the efforts of Jimmy Butler and Carlos Boozer. Butler scored 20 points for the game, while Boozer finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Luol Deng also added 18 points and 5 rebounds for a Bulls team who fell to 9-15 after winning their 2 previous games.

The Rockets blew the game open in the final 3 minutes of the 3rd quarter. Holding on to just a 68-65 lead, Casspi would score 7 points, helping to spark a 15-1 run to enter the 4th quarter. The Bulls would not pull within single digits for the final 12 minutes.