FINAL FROM HOUSTON: Houston 121, Bulls 105. (Bulls 5-19, 2-10 on the road)
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine - 29. Houston: Harden - 30 .
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Parker - 12, Houston: Capela - 15
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Payne - 6, Houston: Paul - 13
CCI RECAP: The Rockets won the season series and won their sixth straight over the Bulls as the Rockets went on an 18-7 third quarter run to put the game away. Jabari Parker recorded his fifth double-double of the season with a 21-12 game. He's registered 20+ points in five of his last seven contests. Zach LaVine poured in 29 points, bouncing back from a season-low eight points against Detroit. The Bulls head to Indiana for a Tuesday game, having lost six straight and 10 of 11. Just too many threes by the Rockets outscoring the Bulls 48-24 in that department. Over the last two games, the Bulls are shooting only 21% from three point range (11-53). The arrival of Lauri Markkanen should improve these numbers dramatically.
MARKKANEN RETURNS: Prior to the game, Head Coach Fred Hoiberg informed the media that Lauri would make his season debut against the Rockets coming off the bench. His stat line: 25+ min. FGs: 4-14, 3-pt FGs: 2-6, 0 FTA, 10 pts. 4 reb, 1 steal, 1 block. It was great to see him back on the floor and credit is due to his conscientious perseverance during his rehab period and to the Bulls medical and athletic staffs for overseeing his progress following his elbow injury.
CCI GAME BALLS: Bulls: LaVine, Parker and Markkanen. Houston: Capela, Harden and Paul.
CCI IN THE LOCKEROOM: "I liked Lauri's aggressiveness. It's great to have him back out there."
- Coach Fred Hoiberg
UP NEXT: At Indiana, Tuesday.
CCI 24 SECONDS - NBA NEWS and NOTES
Sacramento 111, Indiana 110: Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 for the Kings. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 27 for the Pacers—and NO they are NOT related.
Toronto 106, Cleveland 95: Kawhi Leonard with a 34-9 game. The Raps go to a league best 20-4 winning their eighth straight.
Detroit 111, Golden State 102: The Pistons won their fifth straight and go to 13-7. Andre Drummond with with 19 rebounds. He collected 39 in a back to back against the Bulls and Warriors respectively.
Boston 118, Minnesota 109: Vintage Gordon Hayward with a 30-9-8 game.
Washington 102, Brooklyn 88: Wall and Beal combined for 52 points. The Nets have lost six straight.
New York 136, Milwaukee 134 OT: Big time win for the Knicks. Emmanuel Mudiay scored 28 points. Rookie Kevin Knox added 26. NY's Mario Hezonja threw down a nasty dunk on Giannis then stepped over him reminiscent of Allen Iverson on Tyronn Lue in the 2001 Finals. Giannis: "I'm going to punch him in the ....next time."
Thanks for reading CCI. Always a pleasure. Reach me at cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter: @ctsbulls P.S. Thank you to the Bulls outstanding digital team for preparing my column each morning for distribution on our social media pages. You are appreciated!