HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 11: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls controls the ball ahead of Kevin Porter Jr. #3 of the Houston Rockets during the first half at Toyota Center on March 11, 2023 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges …
HOUSTON - Zach LaVine scored 36 and DeMar DeRozan added 27 as the Chicago Bulls used a huge run in the fourth quarter for a 119-111 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
The Bulls trailed by four points midway through the fourth before going on a 13-0 run for a 115-106 lead with two minutes remaining.
DeRozan, who had seven rebounds and five assists, scored the first four points in the run and LaVine scored the next four. LaVine’s second basket in that span came on an alley-oop from DeRozan, and former Rocket Patrick Beverley capped the run with a 3-pointer.
It’s the second straight victory for the Bulls, who got 18 points and 11 rebounds from Nikola Vucevic and 16 points and 10 rebounds from Beverley. LaVine had nine rebounds and five assists.
Rookie Jabari Smith Jr. had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Western Conference-worst Rockets, who dropped their third in a row.
Houston led by nine points early in the fourth quarter before Chicago scored the next nine points to tie it at 98 with 8 ½ minutes to go. Andre Drummond scored the first six points in that stretch and DeRozan capped it with a three-point play.
The Rockets got their first points in almost three minutes on a basket by Jalen Green after that. He was fouled on the play and missed the free throw, but Smith grabbed the rebound and finished with a dunk to make it 102-98.
The Rockets led by a point at halftime and the teams stayed close through most of the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Vucevic got Chicago within one with about three minutes left in the quarter, but Houston scored the next six points to make it 87-80 a minute later.
LaVine made two free throws after that before the Rockets used an 8-2 run, with 3s from Tari Eason and Kevin Porter Jr., to extend the lead to 95-84.
LaVine had a three-point play near the end of the third to get the Bulls within 95-87 entering the fourth.
Houston led by as many as 13 points early, but the Bulls cut the lead to 55-54 by halftime.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Drummond had 11 points and five rebounds. ... Chicago made 15 3-pointers. ... Alex Caruso, who played in college at nearby Texas A&M, had five points and and three steals.
Rockets: Houston made 16 of 34 3-pointers. ... Green had 18 points and seven assists. ... Eason had 12 points off the bench. ... Alperen Sengun had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. ... Kenyon Martin Jr. scored 16 points.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Host Boston on Monday night.
Bulls: Host Sacramento on Wednesday night.