Chicago Bulls (29-42) beat Houston Rockets (43-28) 132-124 at home on Monday, March 23 in a shootout, with the two teams combining for 256 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Bulls struck first, taking the opening quarter 41-21 and a 20-point lead after one. The Rockets cut into the deficit with a 27-24 second quarter, though the Bulls still led by 17 at halftime.
The Rockets won the third 39-30 to stay in front, taking a 8-point lead into the fourth. The teams matched each other with 37 points apiece in the fourth quarter, and the Bulls closed regulation with a 132-124 lead.
What decided it
The Bulls made 25.6 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 16.3 for the Rockets. The Bulls took better care of the ball, turning it over on 12.8% of possessions compared with 15.2% for the Rockets. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
At roughly 110 possessions per team, the Bulls produced 119.5 points per 100 possessions to 112.3 for the Rockets.
The Bulls' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 53-9.
Who made the difference
Alperen Sengun was the game's biggest individual force for HOU: 33 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast on 16-19 shooting. His Game Score of 36.4 led everyone. His team was -6 with him on the floor.
Collin Sexton led the Bulls with 25 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl on 6-14 shooting, good for a 21.2 Game Score.
Josh Giddey (15 pts, 7 reb, 13 ast) and Alperen Sengun (33 pts, 13 reb, 10 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 36% for the Bulls.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Houston Rockets lead 3-0.
The Bulls are now 29-42, and the Rockets are 43-28. The Bulls last five before this game: L-L-W-L-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.