03/23/26 09:59:00
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03/23 21:58 CDT Bulls race to 20-point lead in 1st quarter, hang on to beat the
Rockets 132-124
Bulls race to 20-point lead in 1st quarter, hang on to beat the Rockets 132-124
By LUKE DECOCK
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) --- Matas Buzelis' layup in the final seconds put Chicago ahead to
stay and Collin Sexton came off the bench to score 25 points as the Chicago
Bulls beat the Houston Rockets 132-124 Monday night.
Houston's loss, combined with San Antonio's 136-111 win over Miami, allowed the
Spurs (54-18) to clinch the Southwest Division.
The Bulls (29-42) led by as many as 22 points after scoring a season-high 41
points in the first quarter. But, Chicago trailed by four points late and
needed Buzelis' basket with 10.2 seconds remaining to move ahead to stay and
post their first win over Houston in the teams' last five games.
Kevin Durant fueled the Rockets' (43-28) comeback by scoring 15 of his
game-high 40 points in the fourth quarter. Durant was 15 of 23 from the field,
marking the ninth straight game he shot 50% or better, which is the
third-longest streak of his career.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka was ejected after being assessed his second technical
foul of the game with 9.1 seconds remaining.
Sexton scored 17 of his points in the first quarter, while Buzelis finished
with 23 and Leonard Miller 17. Josh Giddey, Tre Jones and Jalen Smith each
scored 15 points for the Bulls, with Giddey adding 13 assists.
After trailing by 17 at the half, the Rockets took the lead on a Jabari Smith
Jr. 3-pointer with 5:56 to play. Alperen Sengun scored 33 for the Rockets and
Amen Thompson added 23.
Jalen Smith, who was listed as questionable after missing the Bulls' last game
with an ankle injury, tied his season high in points and finished with six
rebounds and two blocks off the bench despite being limited to 26 minutes.
The Rockets had won two straight after inserting second-year guard Reed
Sheppard into the starting lineup. Sheppard shot 3 for 14 from 3-point distance.
Up next
Rockets: Visit Minnesota on Wednesday.
Bulls: Visit Philadelphia on Wednesday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
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