Three days after blowing out the best team in the Western Conference, the Chicago Bulls gritted out a win over the worst team in the West, erasing a double-digit deficit for a 119-111 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.

Neither the Rockets nor Bulls are prolific 3-point shooting teams — but for the second time this season, that didn’t matter when they faced off. The Rockets average only 32.5 attempts — and 10.6 makes — from 3-point range. But in their December meeting, they went 17-44 from behind the arc to blow out the Bulls 133-118.

The Rockets repeated the high-volume shooting performance on their home court Saturday, going 9-for-16 from 3-point range in the opening half while the Bulls kept pace at 8-for-18. Both teams were on track to finish well above their averages after the third quarter — the Rockets went 15-for-23 and the Bulls 13-for-26.

But the game was ultimately decided from inside the arc. The teams took only 15 combined shots from behind the arc in the final quarter as the game opened up in transition.

Patrick Beverley made the first 3-pointer of the fourth with 2:06 remaining, sinking a dagger to give the Bulls a 115-106 lead.

The highs

Zach LaVine went 14-for-26 and scored a game-high 36 points, netting his fifth consecutive game with 25-plus. He carved up the court in transition and took on three defenders to score the go-ahead basket, giving the Bulls a 108-106 lead with 4:10 remaining. On the ensuing play, he threw down a dunk off a lob from DeMar DeRozan, extending the Bulls’ lead to four.
DeRozan complemented LaVine, tallying 10 points in the final quarter. He sank his second 3-pointer of the night in the final minute, turning to the bench with an expression of mock disbelief to send the Bulls ahead 118-109.
Beverley had his first double-digit game as a Bull, finishing with 16 points. He shot 4-for-5 from 3-point range, including a clutch 3 in the final three minutes.
Center Andre Drummond made his presence felt off the bench, scoring 11 and adding five rebounds in 13 minutes.

The lows

Despite having an extra day of rest between games, the Bulls were slow out of the gate, forcing Billy Donovan to take a frustration timeout in the opening two minutes. The Rockets took a 32-22 lead while shooting 4-for-8 from 3-point range. The Bulls shot only 39% from the floor during the opening quarter, …read more

Source:: The Mercury News

      

Recapping the Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine leads comeback win against the Houston Rockets, moving Bulls into final play-in spot

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