Monday night’s game was filled with disappointment for the Houston Rockets. Despite a heroic effort by Kevin Durant, the Rockets came away with a 132-124 loss at the hands of the Chicago Bulls, seeing them fall to 43-28 on the season.
Kevin Durant’s 40 points, seven rebounds, and five assists inspired the team to draw the game close from an unfavorable position. Along with Alperen Sengun‘s triple-double of 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Amen Thompson‘s 23 points, the Rockets were in a solid position. But it wasn’t enough to help the Rockets overcome the Bulls.
Kevin Durant 40 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST, 15/23 FG, 5/10 3FG, 5/8 FT, 75.4% TS vs Bulls pic.twitter.com/XAhgUKfKwQ https://t.co/TUZrPzy7qs
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) March 24, 2026
Collin Sexton (25 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST) and Matas Buzelis (23 PTS, 4 REB) led the scoring charge for the Chicago. Bulls guard Josh Giddey also played a vital role, adding 15 points, seven rebounds, and 13 assists to hold off Houston’s furious comeback effort led by Durant.
This loss adds to the Rockets’ growing inconsistency in building a winning habit. Despite their noteworthy victory over the Atlanta Hawks and their narrow win against the Miami Heat, the sixth-ranked Rockets fell to the 12th-ranked Bulls.
While their late-game effort was impressive, a major reason behind Houston’s loss lies in the way they started the game.
While the Rockets are a much better team than the Bulls on paper, the lackadaisical approach in the first quarter saw Houston suffer a major setback, as they were outscored 41-21. With a 20-point deficit heading into the second quarter, the Rockets were left to play catch-up against a Bulls team firing on all cylinders (45-90 FG, 19-39 3PT).
At the start of the second quarter, Amen Thompson was singlehandedly responding to Chicago’s scoring. It was only after Alperen Sengun got going later in the period that the Rockets managed to settle into a groove.
After outscoring the Bulls 27-24 in the second quarter, the Rockets appeared to be clicking on both ends of the floor.
Coming out of the break, Kevin Durant seemed to be heating up, but the Bulls’ duo of Buzelis and Sexton responded to everything Houston threw at them. The status quo changed late in the third when the Rockets managed to go on an 8-3 run to close out the quarter.
With a 12-point lead going into the final frame, Chicago was still in a comfortable position. However, a surge led by Reed Sheppard (13 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST) and Sengun helped the Rockets put some pressure on the Bulls. While capitalizing on their mistakes, the Rockets eventually cut the lead down to two points with 8:31 on the clock behind a clutch floater by Durant.
Although this led to a minor back-and-forth exchange, helping the Bulls stay in front, Durant and Sengun systematically dismantled Chicago again, tying the game at 106-106 before the Bulls called a timeout.
At this stage, all the momentum was in Houston’s favor. Having erased a 22-point deficit, the Rockets seemed to be in control of the game as they took a four-point lead with just over five minutes left on the clock.
Suddenly, the scales tipped again.
A quick two points by Tre Jones (15 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST) off Giddey’s assist seemingly stunted Houston’s offense. With Giddey then taking over on offense, Chicago quickly took back the lead.
The two teams continued to exchange blows, but then the stalemate was broken once Giddey and Buzelis hit back-to-back three-pointers, giving the Bulls a 124-118 lead.
Although Kevin Durant valiantly responded with three-pointers of his own, the Bulls had a response prepared. With Durant eventually being called for an offensive foul with roughly 10 seconds left on the clock, the game completely slipped away from Houston’s grasp.
Kevin Durant is called for the game-sealing offensive foul.
Bulls win pic.twitter.com/XlMziQs4iF
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) March 24, 2026
While there is good reason for the Rockets to be disappointed with the result, the team displayed grit, something that could be worth banking on in the postseason. Given the need to return to winning ways, however, the team will need to establish a solid foothold first.
The Rockets are due to face the Minnesota Timberwolves (5th in the West) in their upcoming matchup on the road. While this could prove to be a difficult game, the Rockets must win in order to secure the tiebreaker over the Wolves.
