Chicago Bulls fall short on a mission to beat Houston Rockets

The Chicago Bulls hopes of getting a win at home didn’t go according to plan, and it showed especially during the third quarter against the Rockets.

Perimeter shooting from the Houston Rockets became too much for the Chicago Bulls to contain in an effort to stage a comeback at the start of the fourth quarter.

The game didn’t always seem out of reach for the Bulls to think they could win.

The  tone was set early on with small forward Chandler Hutchison getting the start in the place of the injured Otto Porter Jr. who is sidelined indefinitely with a sprained left foot. Hutchison brought a level of physicality, which is something the Bulls have needed in his absence, and it showed early on with the second-year wing stealing a board from the Rockets.

A key to the early success seen during the game was not a matter of better one-on-one play,  rather the Bulls demonstrated great effort as a collective.

The Bulls’ defense looked suffocating with the team’s length creating problems for the Rockets.

During the first half, the fans seemingly had a ball game on their hands with the Bulls forcing the stops necessary to fend off James Harden, Russell Westbrook and the Rockets. The Rockets turned over the ball 8 times during the first quarter. By halftime, the Rockets turned over the ball 15 times, and Harden was responsible for 5 of them.

At the offensive end, the Bulls didn’t prove to be scrubs, either. The ball didn’t stop so much that the team resorted to going one-on-one. The Bulls kept the ball moving in the multi-ball handler system pressed upon by head coach Jim Boylen.

For starters, take a look at this action created by point guard Ryan Arcidiacono and big man Lauri Markkanen.

The Bulls appeared to dominate the paint more than it did beyond the arc, which proved to be helpful. The team held a 27-20 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Things continued to look positive for the Bulls as the second quarter got underway.

The Bulls fared better than the Rockets in protecting the ball. The team committed six turnovers during the first half. Credit can go to point guards Tomas Satoransky and Kris Dunn in that regard.

Satoransky did a good job of getting the Bulls into their offense. He appears to always be looking for opportunities to set up his teammates to score.

Dunn filled in nicely in Satoransky’s absence. He racked up four assists through the first half.

One factor not working to the Bulls’ advantage was foul trouble.

Satoransky picked up his third personal foul at the 5:45 mark of the second quarter. After which, Dunn re-entered the game. This change may not have worked in the Bulls’ favor. The team’s offense tends to run smoother through Satoransky.

Still, between the one-on-one prowess of the Rockets and moments of stagnation from the Bulls, the game remained competitive early on.

One positive thing to note is the Bulls had the Rockets down by as many as 9 points at one point during the first half.

The Rockets turned to a smaller lineup at certain points in time to give Clint Capella time to rest. Center Wendell Carter Jr.  was a benefactor, and he continued to play well for the Bulls. Most notably, Carter’s rebounding has been on point.

Check it out:

The Rockets were up 50-49 at halftime.

As the third quarter got underway, the Bulls seemingly had a chance to win the game, but things didn’t go according to plan as time chipped away.

The Bulls couldn’t get it going from deep. The team shot an abysmal 2-for-24 from three-point  range through the 3:28 mark of the third quarter. This proved to be no problem for the Rockets, however.

What’s more is the Rockets capitalized off the Bulls foul trouble completing free-throws. Namely, Harden dominated with 9-for-11 free-throw shooting. The Bulls weren’t able to quite outdo that production unfortunately. Shooting guard Zach LaVine would not go to the free-throw line at any point during the game, while Markkanen shot 7-for-7.

A better offense by the Rockets derailed the Bulls’ chances of winning the game or keeping it close altogether. By the sound of the final horn, the scoreboard read Rockets 117, Bulls 94.

Next up, the Bulls are looking to take on the New York Knicks. The action will get underway Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. CST.