7 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls’ 133-118 loss to the last-place Houston Rockets, including a 3rd-quarter implosion

The Chicago Bulls’ three-game winning streak ended Monday with a 133-118 home loss to the Houston Rockets, who have the worst record in the Western Conference at 10-23.

The loss dropped the Bulls to 14-19 as they remain 11th in the Eastern Conference standings.

Here are seven takeaways from the loss.

The Rockets opened with a 12-2 run before coach Billy Donovan finally called a timeout. The defense didn’t improve, allowing 36 points in the first quarter and 28 in the second. The Rockets picked apart the Bulls with back cuts and switches on drives to the basket, scoring 22 points in the paint on 67% shooting.

This is the 15th time this season the Bulls have allowed 60 or more points in the first half.

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After a three-game streak of invigorated energy, Monday’s first half seemed to be a regression to the mean for LaVine. This was encapsulated by a moment of frustration in the first quarter: LaVine missed a shot, then didn’t hustle to get back on defense, ultimately earning a technical foul for arguing with a referee over a lack of foul calls.

The final minute of the half momentarily reset that energy as LaVine scored eight of his 11 first-half points in a span of 50 seconds. The stretch began when Coby White stole the ball with 53 seconds remaining, tiptoeing the sideline with a behind-the-back dribble to set up a lob for LaVine to crush through the rim.

After stamping the highlight of the night, LaVine followed with back-to-back 3-pointers, sinking the second as time expired to send the Bulls into the locker room with a 65-64 lead.

That exhilarating minute wasn’t able to spark LaVine’s scoring in the second half. He finished 9-for-19 from the field and did not make another 3-pointer. He also struggled from the free-throw line, shooting 2-for-5, and finished with 22 points.

The Bulls erased a 10-point deficit in the second quarter, driven in part by LaVine’s eight points in the final minute. But their one-point halftime lead was fleeting — after starting the second half with a 9-3 run, the defense crumbled completely.

The Bulls had no answer for Kevin Porter Jr., who finished with 34 points and went 6-for-12 from 3-point range. The Rockets scorched the Bulls from behind the arc, going 17-for-44. The Bulls were outscored 35-24 in the third quarter, reestablishing a double-digit deficit they never overcame.

“A team like tonight, no disrespect to them but you’ve got to go after them,” DeMar DeRozan said. “Once we gave them that second glimpse of hope, they took off with it.”

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After a 2021-22 season derailed by injury, Williams has been the focus of fan attention — and often ire — throughout his third season with the Bulls. But the power forward stood out as an early bright spot against the Rockets, providing explosive transition offense and hitting a pair of 3-pointers.

Williams scored 12 points in the first half but struggled to maintain that along with the rest of his teammates, going scoreless after halftime. He also finished with seven rebounds, marking his third straight game with seven or more. That’s a critical contribution as the Bulls continue to miss their other two power forwards.

The Bulls defense continues to be hampered by the absence of the three defensive specialists. Caruso has a shoulder sprain and is in concussion protocol, Green has right knee soreness and Jones has a left ankle sprain. Without Green and Jones, the Bulls are heavily reliant on Williams, who played 40 minutes Monday. Donovan could not provide a timeline for the return of any of the trio.

Before the game, Donovan specified that Caruso was symptomatic for a concussion when he was injured against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. The guard has since passed most of his tests to receive clearance from concussion protocol; however, he won’t be fully cleared until he can participate in contact practice, which the shoulder injury is impeding him from doing.

Green remains sidelined with a bone bruise in his knee, which has caused intermittent swelling and discomfort to force a stop-and-go recovery. He was a game-time decision against the Rockets, signaling that he might be getting closer to returning.

With the Bulls lineup limited by injuries — especially to defensive-minded players — Donovan turned to Terry for a slightly increased workload against the Rockets. The rookie entered with 6:21 left in the second quarter, his earliest entry this season.

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Terry still hasn’t earned meaningful minutes with the Bulls, and that didn’t change Monday despite the first-half appearance. He tallied seven minutes, registering a single rebound as his only stat.

After a tumultuous start to the holiday week, the Bulls returned home with positive energy after notching a three-game winning streak on the strength of two final-seconds game-winners from Ayo Dosunmu and DeRozan.

But that streak didn’t last against the Rockets, who arrived in Chicago with a 9-23 record, worst in the Western Conference. This was the type of easy win the Bulls should be able to take advantage of; instead, they’ll have to try to bounce back against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.