The Houston Rockets showed how to play well in the first game of a back-to-back set on Sunday.
Houston had its highest point total of the season, winning 143-107 on the road against the Chicago Bulls. Seven players scored in double figures, and all five starters played less than 29 minutes, giving them a good rest before facing the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday.
Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists for his second straight triple-double. Fred VanVleet scored 28 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists. Jalen Green had 18 points on just nine shots, and Amen Thompson, coming off the bench, added 16 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes.
This win was the Rockets’ fifth in a row and their seventh in the last eight games.
“We’re just finding our rhythm,” said VanVleet. “It’s a long season. We got off to a shaky start (1-2), but we’re finding our flow, and right now we’ve got it in a good place. We’ve got to stay locked in and stay focused.”
The Rockets have been excelling with their defense and fast-break offense. They scored 32 points in transition against the Bulls and are averaging 22.4 fast-break points per game during this winning streak.
“It starts with defense, obviously,” said Rockets coach Ime Udoka. “When we can get stops and turnovers and get out (in transition), that’s been a calling card lately. I think it’s good that we continue to go in that direction. Get the easy ones where we don’t have to play against a set defense, we’ll take that every night.”
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Charlotte Hornets 115-114 on Saturday, snapping their two-game winning streak. Despite that, the Bucks have shown improvement recently.
The team has been missing Khris Middleton all season, and Damian Lillard (concussion) missed his third straight game in the loss to Charlotte. However, the Bucks’ close loss to the Hornets and their back-to-back wins over Toronto and Detroit showed that they can still play well even with key players absent.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been carrying much of the load since returning from injury, is averaging 33.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.3 blocks over the past six games. The team has also gotten solid contributions from others, which has helped them stay competitive. They expect even better results when Lillard returns and Middleton is back.
“I think the last five or six games we’ve been playing good basketball,” said Antetokounmpo. “Guys are competing, and I just love to see it. Everybody that steps in competes … and this is what we have to do.
Everybody has that individual pride. Everybody knows that you have to guard. For us to win games, you have to guard. There isn’t any other way, and I think players have taken that to heart and are going out there trying to guard the best way they can.”
