Bulls pull away from Rockets

CHICAGO — The Houston Rockets on Monday night became the latest team from the Western Conference to learn just how deep in talent the Chicago Bulls are this season.

After three high-scoring quarters of back-and-forth basketball, it was the Bulls who pulled away down the stretch in the fourth for a 114-105 victory at the United Center, their third straight and 10th in the past 11 games.

Trailing by eight points twice in the fourth, Chicago (25-10) refused to let the high-scoring Rockets (23-11) dictate the game’s conclusion. Led by their starting five plus rookie forward Nikola Mirotic off the bench, the Bulls outscored Houston 24-7 in the final eight minutes of the game for their sixth straight win against a team from the West.

“It’s always fun to win, but with this group of guys, it makes it even more fun,” said guard Jimmy Butler, who scored eight of his 22 points in the fourth for Chicago. “Everybody’s so unselfish and everybody wants everybody else to be successful.”

Forward Pau Gasol led the Bulls (25-10) with 27 points and 14 rebounds for his 18th double-double of the season. Guard Derrick Rose added 19 points and nine assists, Mirotic finished with 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench, and guard Kirk Hinrich chipped in 10 points while starting for injured Mike Dunleavy.

“We’ve got a lot of offensive weapons,” said Chicago reserve forward Taj Gibson, who scored nine points and grabbed six of the Bulls’ 47 rebounds. “We’ve got a lot of posts. We’ve got shooters this year. We’ve got a real deep team. You never know who’s going to open up a can of worms each and every night. Like I said before, we’re real deep.”

Look no further than starting center Joakim Noah, whose eight points, 10 rebounds, six blocks and three assists got overshadowed by big nights for the five who scored in double figures.

The Rockets are also deep. Forward Josh Smith had 21 points and guard James Harden finished with 20 to lead five Rockets in double-figure scoring, while center Dwight Howard had 12 points and 14 rebounds. It just wasn’t enough to overcome the Bulls, who outscored Houston 31-16 in the fourth.

Much of the defensive effort for Chicago rested squarely on Butler’s shoulders. His defensive assignment was switched to Harden in the first quarter, after the NBA’s scoring leader scored nine points on 4-of-8 shooting (1-for-2 on 3-pointers). After scoring eight more points in the second quarter, Harden was held to three points in the second half. He also got to the free-throw line just three times in the game, hitting all three.

Houston took only five foul shots as a team, which turned out to be another big reason for the Bulls’ comeback win. Chicago shot 90 percent from the free-throw line by sinking 27-of-30 attempts.

“We had to get to the line more than we did,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “We didn’t get to the line very much. We weren’t able to get fouls where we’re normally attacking a little bit. They make some plays down the stretch, and we didn’t.”

Houston (23-11) went on an 8-0 run in the final 1:18 of the third for an 89-83 lead to start the fourth. The surge included two baskets from Smith and a 3-pointer by guard Jason Terry, who struck again from long range in the fourth.

His second three put Houston up 94-88 with 9:38 left, but it was a controversial play.

Rockets forward Corey Brewer jumped to save a loose ball on the baseline and scooped the ball to Terry for the shot, but replays showed Brewer’s left foot was out of bounds. The call wasn’t reviewed.

The Bulls soon seized control, outscoring the Rockets by 15 points the rest of the way led by Butler, Rose and Gasol, who’d also scored 18 points in the first quarter to keep Chicago within striking distance early.

The Bulls led 34-33 after a quarter and a back-and-forth second frame sent the game to the half knotted at 62. Houston kept pace in the third, despite Harden going 0-for-6 from the floor, but Chicago found that extra gear in the last half of the fourth.

“We just didn’t execute down the stretch,” Smith said. “We played our butts off for about 44 minutes of that game, and then down the stretch we just couldn’t find a way to execute. Even though the free-throw discrepancy was massive, we still had an opportunity to win that game.

NOTES: Chicago played without starting F Mike Dunleavy (right ankle) and reserve F Doug McDermott (right knee), who missed his 18th games with the injury. … Bulls starting G Derrick Rose played with a right hip contusion that happened Saturday in a collision during Chicago’s 109-104 win against the Boston Celtics. Rose was listed as probable, but waited until after pregame warmups to make his decision to play. … Bulls starting G Jimmy Butler, who missed the game against Boston, returned after a one-game bereavement absence. … The Rockets played without F Terrence Jones (left leg nerve inflammation) and G Alexey Shved (left ankle sprain). … Houston F Trevor Ariza (right ankle soreness), G James Harden (strained left hamstring) and C Dwight Howard (strained right knee) each played despite their health issues. … Harden’s scoring average of 27.2 points-per game prior to the game led the NBA.