|
Gordon, Paul carry Rockets past Bulls
Send a link to a friend
 [January 09, 2018]
The Houston Rockets may not have
had James Harden on Monday, but they had a balanced scoring attack.
Houston's approach was more than enough to earn a 116-107 victory at
the United Center over the Chicago Bulls, who were without Nikola
Mirotic.
Eric Gordon scored 13 of his 24 points in the first quarter to help
the Rockets (28-11) take a big early lead and they coasted to their
second win in four games without Harden in the lineup. Chris Paul
also finished with 24 points in the victory.
Bobby Portis had 22 points off the bench to lead Chicago, which fell
to 3-21 without Mirotic in the lineup.
Harden, who leads the NBA in scoring at 32.3 points per game, missed
his fourth straight game with a grade 2 left hamstring injury. The
shooting guard will be re-evaluated next week.
Mirotic, who has averaged 17.4 points and seven rebounds per game
this season, missed Monday's game with the flu. It was the first
time Mirotic has sat out since missing the team's first 23 contests
after suffering a concussion and a facial fracture in a preseason
scuffle with Portis. The Bulls (14-27) are 11-6 with Mirotic in the
lineup.
Gordon made five of his first six shots, including three 3-pointers,
as Houston grabbed a 35-22 lead after one quarter. He and Paul both
finished with nine assists.
[to top of second column] |
Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) dribbles the ball against the
Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center. Mandatory
Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Former Slam Dunk champion Gerald Green finished with 22 points, his
third 20-point effort in seven games since he signed with the
Rockets last month.
Clint Capela had 15 points and 16 rebounds for Houston, which
outrebounded Chicago 51-37. Trevor Ariza had 18 points and nine
rebounds for the Rockets.
Denzel Valentine and Kris Dunn each scored 19 points for the Bulls.
Valentine had eight rebounds.
Chicago first-round pick Lauri Markkanen finished with 16 points and
eight rebounds in the losing effort.
--Field Level Media
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
