Dosunmu's career-high not enough in loss to Rockets |
HOUSTON — No matter how hard the Chicago Bulls (34-36) scratch and claw, they just can't seem to get back to the .500 mark, let alone above .500. I guess that is what happens when you start a season 4-15, as this team hasn't been above .500 since last year.
To their credit, they have done a phenomenal job responding from that shaky start to position themselves to make the playoffs while also watching several key pieces develop into the pieces of the future. One of those pieces is Ayo Dosunmu, who has come into his own since stepping in for Zach Lavine. Ayo took more than two seasons to score 30 points in a game, but he has accomplished that feat in two of his last three contests. That includes his career-high 35 points against the Houston Rockets (34-35) at the Toyota Center on Thursday. Despite that effort, the Rockets defeated the Bulls 127-117. The Bulls needed a game like that from Dosunmu, as he was the only player to score 20 points in the game for Chicago, which doesn't typically go in your favor. Chicago did, however, have six players in double figures, including all five starters, with Demar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic picking up 16 points. DeRozan had a quiet 16 points as he seemed a bit fatigued at times, but with 14 rebounds, Vucevic continues to go about his business and emerge as one of the more consistent bigs in the game. Another player who has seen a massive increase in his scoring over the past few weeks has been Alex Caruso. Credit his vastly improved perimeter shooting for his increased scoring, but this wasn't one of his better nights. He went just 2-8 from deep to finish with 12 points. On the other hand, Torrey Craig had one of his better showings of the season with 10 points, and the Bulls are hoping to see more of that these final few weeks. Another positive to take away from this game was the return of Coby White, who was returning from a multiple-game absence with a hip injury. Coming off the bench for the first time since early November, Billy Donovan wants to monitor his minutes, but with 13 points White showed he is close to being 100 percent. Andre Drummond continued to play big, scoring nine points and eight boards off the bench, and Dalen Terry picked up the other six points for the Bulls. Since the start of the season, the Houston Rockets have been one of the more improved teams in the NBA and continue to play well entering the final month. Credit Ime Udoka for that, as he has changed the narrative and the overall culture for what has been a trying several years for this team. Adding Udoka to the sidelines certainly helps, but so does adding a plethora of quality young talent that continues to develop at the right time. Jalen Green is one of those guys. The second-year point guard continues to put forth an impressive second season. Green led the Rockets with 26 points, and his explosiveness and ability to knock down shots from all over gave the Bulls fits. You also had Dillon Brooks coming up huge with 23 points, as that is not part of his game. Brooks is very similar to Draymond Green in that he doesn't have to score to be successful. Whenever you can get points from him, you have to like your chances, but when he scores 23 points, your team will be in great hands, which the Rockets were most of the night. Even with their star big man out of the lineup nursing an injury, the Rockets didn't miss a beat offensively, as they also had six players land in double figures. Unlike the Bulls, where most of their production came from the starting five, the Rockets had plenty of balance as three starters and three reserves all had massive nights to carry the offense. Jock Landale had the best game off the bench for Houston, leading the second unit with 17 points and picking up 12 boards. Throw in 15 points from Aaron Holiday and 14 from Jeff Green, and the Rockets were challenging to defend as the Bulls were chasing shots all game long. Next up for Chicago will be a matchup with the best team in the Eastern Conference as they take on the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
