National Basketball Association
Chicago 125, Houston 120
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, January 18, 2021
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Officials: #31 Scott Wall, #67 Brandon Adair, #55 Bill Kennedy
Attendance: N/A

Zach LaVine scored a game-high 33 points, Lauri Markkanen added 18 points and five different players swished at least three 3-pointers to boost the host Chicago Bulls to a 125-120 victory against the Houston Rockets on Monday night.

Making his team debut after being acquired from Indiana as part of last week's blockbuster trade that sent former Houston star James Harden to Brooklyn, Victor Oladipo paced the Rockets with 32 points.

Houston trailed by as many as 17 in the second quarter before cutting the deficit to three several times down the stretch, the last on a pair of Christian Wood free throws with 1:03 left. The Rockets would come no closer while losing their second straight.

After losing four games in a row by four points or less, the Bulls won for the second time in as many days. Chicago overcame 19 turnovers by shooting 46.7 percent, including 44.4 percent (20-for-45) from long range.

Seven players scored in double figures for the Bulls, as Denzel Valentine (13 points, eight rebounds), Thaddeus Young (12 points, nine rebounds) and Wendell Carter Jr. (10 points, eight rebounds) each flirted with double-doubles.

Garrett Temple scored 13 points and Coby White chipped in 10 for Chicago, while LaVine had seven assists.

Wood had 30 points and nine rebounds for the Rockets. Eric Gordon scored 21 points, with Jae'Sean Tate (11 points) and Mason Jones (10) also finishing in double figures.

Oladipo added nine assists in another solid game at United Center this season. He drilled all five attempts from deep while scoring 22 points for Indiana in a Dec. 26 win against Chicago.

Chicago shot 50 percent in the first half, including 9-for-22 from long range, and took a 64-52 lead into the break. LaVine, who had just one field goal in Sunday's victory at Dallas, had four field goals in the first half en route to scoring a team-high 13 points.

John Wall (left knee soreness) and Sterling Brown (right lower leg soreness) were out for Houston, while Patrick Williams (right hip contusion) and Otto Porter Jr. (lower back strain) missed the game for Chicago.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Houston   Chicago
Victor Oladipo 32 Scoring Zach LaVine 33
Victor Oladipo 9 Assists Zach LaVine 7
Christian Wood 9 Rebounds Thaddeus Young 9
Christian Wood 5 Free Throws Made Zach LaVine 7
David Nwaba 4 Steals Zach LaVine 2
Jae'Sean Tate 1 Blocks Daniel Gafford 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Houston 120 52.3 17-40 11-17 25 36 1 8 17
Chicago 125 46.7 20-45 19-21 23 47 3 10 19
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against Charlotte. The Bulls have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .375 after a loss.
  • Houston will play their next game at home against Phoenix. The Rockets have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .429 after a loss.