Despite Kevin Durant dropping 40 points on 15-23 shooting, the Chicago Bulls finished with seven players in double figures and pulled off the 132-124 upset. Just like we all expected!
3 Takeaways
Best First Quarter of the Season
I’m surprised head coach Ime Udoka didn’t walk off the court in disgust. Known for his hard-nosed coaching and stiff defensive mentality, it came as no surprise that Houston entered the night as the NBA’s seventh-best defensive team. They have held opponents to just 109.9 points a night – fourth-fewest – and have done a specifically good job walling off the paint. It’s why this game felt like a painfully obvious uphill battle for a Bulls team that has ranked 29th in offensive rating since the trade deadline.
Nevertheless, I guess a full three-day break can work some miracles! The Bulls walked out already warmed up. Three of their first four made buckets came from behind the arc before Matas Buzelis hooked Nick Richards up with an alley-oop slam. It was a somewhat surprising early approach considering the Bulls opted for a double-big lineup to start, but perhaps that’s why it worked.
If Houston looked punched in the mouth over the first few minutes, they were essentially keeling over by the 7-minute mark. Collin Sexton checked in off the bench and continued his stellar scoring run as a Bull. The guard scored 9 points in roughly a minute and a half of action. His spark helped pace the Bulls toward a 41-point opening frame, which marked a new season-high. Sexton also finished the quarter with 17 points on 5-7 shooting in 8 minutes of action – aka the highest scoring quarter of his career.
The Rockets scored a mere 21 points in the quarter and shot 40.0 percent from the field. While the Bulls would have loved to take credit for putting on a defensive clinic, Houston made it easy with an ice-cold display from outside. They started the night 0-14 from three, which included nine misses in the first quarter.
Kevin Durant Turns the Tide
Passing Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list this weekend, it only felt right that Kevin Durant took things personally inside the United Center. The superstar forward wasn’t going to let his Rockets team roll over with so much on the line. While they came into the night in control of the West’s No. 4 spot, the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves remain right on their tails. In other words, they needed this seemingly easy win over a tanking team.
Durant came out of the third quarter on a clear mission. Not only would he drop a quick 12 points on a flurry of signature mid-range buckets, but he would also assist on 8 more points. Durant played the entirety of the quarter and helped the Rockets chip away at what was once a 21-point lead for the Bulls.
Alperen Sengun was also a key part of the turnaround and a beneficiary of Durant’s playmaking. He was a perfect 6-6 in the quarter and matched his superstar teammate with 12 points and 6 of his own dimes. He was actually the one to score or assist on three of the Rockets’ last four buckets in the quarter, which officially cut the Bulls’ lead to 95-87. This marked Houston’s first time within single digits since the score was 15-6 in the first few minutes of action.
All things considered, this was lining up to be an absolutely *chef’s kiss* tank loss for the Bulls. Have your youngsters (plus Collin Sexton) build up a big lead and show some more flashes, only to erase any chance of actually damaging your draft stock. What more could one ask for?