NBA: Rockets have answers in back-and-forth win over Bulls

Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun posted double-doubles, while Jabari Smith Jr. hit three clutch jumpers down the stretch as the Houston Rockets outlasted the visiting Chicago Bulls 119-113 on Tuesday night.

The win snapped Houston’s three-game losing streak in the first of five consecutive home games. Durant scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Sengun contributed 23 points and 11 assists. Smith, however, proved decisive late, hitting a 3-pointer with 2:52 remaining to give the Rockets a 108-106 lead. He followed with a pull-up jumper one minute later and a second 3-pointer that extended Houston’s advantage to 115-108 with 1:27 remaining.

Neither team managed a double-digit lead during the contest, which featured 35 lead changes and 19 ties. Amen Thompson added 23 points for Houston and went a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.

The Bulls, missing guards Josh Giddey and Coby White due to injury, were led by Tre Jones, who scored a career-high 34 points on 11-of-12 shooting. Matas Buzelis added 19 points, 15 coming in the second half, while Jalen Smith and Nikola Vucevic contributed 14 points apiece.

Houston briefly stretched its lead to six on Thompson’s free throws with 7:54 left in the fourth quarter, but Chicago quickly responded. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Isaac Okoro and Ayo Dosunmu put the Bulls ahead 99-98, keeping the game tightly contested until Smith took over in the closing minutes.

The Rockets set the tone early with consecutive 3-pointers from Reed Sheppard, sparking a 10-0 run that gave Houston a 29-21 first-quarter lead. Kevin Huerter answered for Chicago with a steal and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, narrowing the deficit to five heading into the second quarter.

Chicago extended its momentum in the second, taking a 42-38 lead on Dosunmu’s layup with 7:01 remaining in the first half. That proved to be the largest margin in a back-and-forth half. With 7.8 seconds left before halftime, Jones’ driving layup and two free throws from Smith gave the Bulls a 60-57 lead. The first half alone saw 14 lead changes and 13 ties, with Chicago capitalizing on 10 second-chance points and converting eight Houston turnovers into 13 points.

—Field Level Media/Reuters