Bulls vs. Rockets Takeaways: Youth And Poise Lead To Fourth Quarter Collapse
HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets opened their six-game homestand in a 119-111 loss to the Chicago Bulls inside the Toyota Center. Here are three takeaways from Saturday's loss.
Youth and poise lead to fourth quarter collapse:
Coach Stephen Silas agreed that the Rockets' eight-point loss to the Bulls was an example of experience versus youth.
The Rockets entered the fourth quarter holding a 95-87 advantage but fell apart during the final period. Chicago opened the quarter on a 12-3 run. And by the 4:30 mark of the fourth quarter, the Bulls had tied the game at 106.
The Bulls outscored Houston 13-5 during the final four minutes. Silas said the Rockets' late-game collapse came down to the execution of plays, shot selection and no poise. Chicago outscored the Rockets 32-16 in the fourth.
"It was a team that has been through the wars while another team is trying to find it," Silas said. "Sometimes poise is gained through experience. We've been talking a lot about poise, but we did not show much of it in the fourth — very disappointing."
Rockets improved 3-point shooting with better ball movement:
Before youth and poise halted the Rockets' chances of winning their 16th game, Houston had control through the first three quarters. They played solid defense to contain Chicago's All-Star pairing at times. But the Rockets had a grip on the game due to their improved 3-point shooting.
"That's the thing about this group — when I ask them to do something, they usually try to do it," Silas said. "We made 16 3's — we outshot them from three. It was just the down-the-stretch execution from our young guys."
Houston hit 16 3-pointers on 47.1 percent shooting — 15 made triples came within the first three quarters. The game marked the first time over the last 25 games the Rockets finished with more than 13 made 3-pointers.
Silas credited Houston's 3-point shooting to the ball movement displayed. They finished the game with 28 assists. But during their 3-point shooting barrage, the Rockets recorded 26 assists through the first three periods.
"The ball movement was great," Silas said. "Our offensive production with the 3-point shooting, most of those 3's were created by a teammate. It wasn't like dribble, dribble three. A lot of it was them drawing their defender and kicking it to the open guy. There was a lot of good stuff out there."
Patrick Beverley brings back all the memories:
Zach Lavine was the best player on the floor for the Bulls. He finished the game with 36 points (14-26 FG, 3-8 3PT), eight rebounds and five assists in the win. But Patrick Beverley was the most impactful player for Chicago.
Against his former team, Beverley recorded his second double-double of the season with 18 points shooting 6-for-7 from the field, 4-for-5 from behind the arc, 10 rebounds, five assists and a block.
Beverley's last 3-point field goal of the night gave the Bulls a nine-point lead with 2 minutes and 7 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Best performance:
Jabari Smith Jr. had another impressive performance two nights after scoring a career-best 30 points against the Indiana Pacers. He recorded his 11th double-double of the season with a team-high 20 points (8-14 FG, 2-5 3PT), 10 rebounds and two blocks.
Worst performance:
Saturday night was one of the few games where everyone who touched the court contributed in a positive way for the Rockets. Usman Garuba was the only player who did not provide much in the loss. He recorded one rebound and failed to score in 12 minutes.
Final Words:
"From my perspective, I'm looking at it from the basketball part, coaching part and competitive part. But when you take a step back, you look and say, 'okay, we have a bunch of young kids out there playing their hearts out against guys who are a veteran team. As much as I want to pull them out of it and grow them, I have to be patient." — Silas
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