Chicago Bulls vs. Houston Rockets Game Analysis: That escalated quickly

It was more of the normal chaos and confusion we’ve come to expect from the Chicago Bulls, when they hosted the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

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Chicago is absolutely a “lolocoaster” at this point. We’re 65 games into the season, slipping in the race for the last spot in the playoffs and Fred Hoiberg still messes with his lineups, and by proxy, the psyche of his players.

It was a really good start for Dwyane Wade, back in the lineup after a few extra days of rest. He started 5-for-5 from the field, including one 3-pointer and 1-for-1 at the free throw line. He also rose up for a slam dunk early on. It’s kind of remarkable how good Wade looks when he gets some rest.

On the other side, James Harden didn’t have a great start. He looked a bit off, making bad passes and committing turnovers. Of course, he combined that with some great passing and penetration to the rim. Because, you know, he’s a leading candidate for MVP this season.

It was 18-11, Chicago. 12 of those points were from Wade. In alternate scoring, it was Dwyane Wade leading James Harden 5-3 (FGs made-turnovers committed).

Hoiberg continues to look like a coach who should possibly be fired, and he continued his pattern of putting out strange lineups. After missing five of the past six games, Michael Carter-Williams was the first guy off the bench, replacing a bad Jerian Grant. Next, it was Joffrey Lauvergne in for lackluster Bobby Portis. I said it after the Orlando game a few nights earlier – Nikola Mirotic is cooked. Unless, you know, he sits for the next two weeks and then Fred just drops him back into the lineup as a starter or something.

Chicago kept pushing the lead, which got as big as 13 points, before ending the first quarter with a 10-point lead, 33-23.

The second quarter unleashed more Hoiberg surprises, as Cristiano Felicio and Rajon Rondo got in the mix. Note that Cameron Payne was nowhere among the players I mentioned. And then, surprise! Payne made his way into the game. He was the 12th player used behind Paul Zipser, Felicio, Rondo, and the rest of the gang. To that point, only one healthy, active player had not been used – Mirotic.

Payne is in now. That means Hoiberg is playing 12. This is nuts.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 11, 2017

Payne missed two consecutive free throws. They traded a pick, Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott primarily for Payne. He didn’t play until the second quarter and bricked two free throws.

Chicago completely squandered their huge lead as the Rockets made a huge second quarter urn. Impressively, they did it without Harden who turned his ankle in a painful way when his plant foot landed on the foot of a Bull while he was looking to go up at the rim.

Houston took their first lead of the night late in first half, with Harden returned to the action. Chicago didn’t slow down, though, and they managed to keep matching Houston baskets. Until they didn’t. At all.

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The first half ended in the worst possible way for the Bulls. They ended the first quarter with a 10 point lead, they went into halftime trailing by seven points. If you’re not good at math, that’s a 17 point swing in a single quarter. They were doing well, but really got it rolling with around two minutes left in the quarter. Zipser was switched onto Harden, who couldn’t shake him, then screened by Nene, but Robin Lopez just stayed in the lane and no one else helped chase Harden off the line. Instead, they let him shoot a wide-open, uncontested and unrushed 3-pointer. He made it. Right after that, Carter-Williams fouled Harden on a 3-pointer. Harden made the 3, and then he made the ensuing free throw. A very fast 7-0 run all by himself. Then another Bulls turnover and breakaway layup for Trevor Ariza and it was a 9-0 run.

Houston absolutely outplayed Chicago in every possible way to close the half on a game that was all Bulls early and then was a good back and forth for a little while. It was 56-49, Houston’s lead at halftime. The only key statistic that was interesting centered rather predictably around Chicago’s 3-point shooting. They were 3-for-16 in the first half.

After finishing the second quarter on a 9-0 run, the Rockets opened the second half on an 8-0 run. Hoiberg was forced to call a timeout after Harden knocked down a much-more contested 3-pointer that was off a similar action as his unchecked bomb that started this whole run in the first half.

The Bulls, who led by 13 in the first half, trailed by 15.

The game just went from bad to worse.

Chicago was killed in the second and third quarters. Over those two periods, they were outscored 69-30. Everyone on the Bulls was doing not a great job. The rotations were bad and the end result showed it.

The fourth was just ugly and worthless. The bench Bulls left Rondo in a corner ISO with the shot clock winding down. Denzel had to forearm shiver Felicio out of his way because that’s how most of their plays worked out.

There’s nothing else to say. Chicago was terrible and was booed by their own fans and they deserved. It was so awful that you couldn’t even remember that Wade had a 20-point first half.