National Basketball Association
Preview
Houston at Chicago
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 17, 2024
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

Jabari Smith Jr. contributed just 22 points over the first three games of the Houston Rockets' four-game winning streak.

But he's confident the stuff that steered him to a 28-point outburst on Friday can keep the surging Rockets rolling, beginning with Sunday's visit to the Chicago Bulls.

Heeding advice from coach Ime Udoka, Smith focused on other parts of his game to help take his mind off his shooting slump. Hence, the 11 rebounds and two steals that accompanied an 11-for-17 effort from the floor that included 5-for-8 from long range in the Rockets' 125-104 home win against the Los Angeles Clippers.

"Tonight, I was just kind of letting it fly. Not thinking about it so much. Getting out of my own head," Smith said. "That was really it. Nothing really different, you know what I'm saying? Just less thinking."

A reactive mindset prevailed in the Rockets' victory as they dished 31 assists on 46 made field goals.

Alperen Sengun had 10 assists to go with 16 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth career triple-double. Fred VanVleet had 18 points and 10 assists in a double-double.

"I thought our execution was good," VanVleet said. "The ball was moving. Quick decisions. Nobody was really holding it."

The Bulls and Rockets have split their past 10 meetings, but the Bulls have won three of the last four at the United Center.

Chicago hopes to conclude a busy week on a high note. The Bulls have sandwiched separate losses to the unbeaten Cleveland Cavaliers between a nail-biting road victory over the New York Knicks.

Despite a strong one-two punch from Coby White (29 points) and Nikola Vucevic (25), the Bulls failed to boost their momentum from the Knicks game in Friday's 144-126 loss at Cleveland.

After an Ayo Dosunmu dunk brought Chicago within four points with 2:55 to go, the Cavaliers scored 21 of the game's final 28 points.

Josh Giddey, the key returning piece in an offseason trade that sent defensive stalwart Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City, wasn't on the floor in the stretch run after some lapses on defense.

"I want to be better on that side of the ball and thought I was making steps in the right direction," Giddey said. "To have a night like tonight kind of kills your confidence. I have to (be) way better and will be going forward."

With Giddey limited to 15 minutes, Patrick Williams (17 points) and Zach LaVine filled much of the void in the distribution department, contributing nine assists apiece.

Chicago had 32 assists on 45 made field goals and was 20-for-42 from deep. The Bulls have finished with at least 30 assists in seven games and swished 20 or more 3's three times.

"I love the way we're trying to play and the commitment we're making physically to the game," coach Billy Donovan said. "I love the way we're sharing the ball and pushing it up the floor."

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W/L Strk Home Away Day Night Div Conf
Houston 9-4 W4 6-2 3-2 1-0 8-4 4-1 6-3
Chicago 5-8 L1 1-4 4-4 0-0 5-8 1-2 4-3
Last Meeting
Houston Chicago
Date Away Home Pts Reb FG% Pts Reb FG%
3/21/24 CHI 117 HOU 127 127 49 50.5 117 43 45.2
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Houston J. Green 26 45.5 2
Chicago A. Dosunmu 35 72.2 4
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Houston J. Landale 12 7 5
Chicago N. Vucevic 14 4 10
Assists Player  
Houston F. VanVleet 12
Chicago N. Vucevic 6
Season
Points Player Total FG% FTM
Houston J. Green 339 39.5 59
Chicago N. Vucevic 327 58.6 27
Rebounds Player Total Off Def
Houston A. Sengun 177 53 124
Chicago N. Vucevic 169 39 130
Assists Player  
Houston F. VanVleet 95
Chicago J. Giddey 108
Quickchart Matchup
Houston Houston Off vs  Chicago Chicago Defense
Houston Off vs Chicago - Points For 112.4 Points For
Houston Off vs Chicago - Points Against 122.2 Points Against
Houston - FG% 44.0 FG%
Chicago - FG% 48.4 FG%
Houston - Reb 49.5 Reb
Chicago - Reb 45.3 Reb
Chicago Chicago Off vs  Houston Houston Defense
Chicago Off vs Houston - Points For 116.2 Points For
Chicago Off vs Houston - Points Against 106.0 Points Against
Chicago - FG% 46.8 FG%
Houston - FG% 43.8 FG%
Chicago - Reb 45.8 Reb
Houston - Reb 44.2 Reb