ROCKETS DEFEAT BULLS
Rockets hold off Bulls 117-114 behind Jalen Green’s 28 points
Mar 16, 2025, 12:58 pm
ROCKETS DEFEAT BULLS
Jalen Green scored 28 points and the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to six straight games with a 117-114 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
Green also added six rebounds for the Rockets. Alperen Sengun scored 24 points while adding 15 rebounds. Fred VanVleet shot 8 for 20 (5 for 14 from 3-point range) and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line to finish with 23 points.
Coby White led the way for the Bulls with 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Tre Jones finished with 19 points and six assists for Chicago.
VanVleet put up 18 second-quarter points for the Rockets, who trailed 65-60 at halftime. The Rockets took the lead for good with 5:52 remaining in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer from Green to make it a 100-98 game.
Bulls: The loss snapped a four-game winning streak. ... It was the opening game of a six-game road trip. ... Josh Giddy, day to day with an ankle injury, was out. But White (toe) started.
Rockets: With Tari Eason out because of injury management for his lower leg, Jabari Smith Jr. moved into the starting lineup. ... The Rockets improved to 25-10 at home. ... VanVleet had 21 first-half points for Houston, including a fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the half.
Green hit a 3-pointer that gave Houston a 100-98 lead with 5:52 left in the game, then followed it up with a layup and the Rockets never trailed again.
The Rockets outrebounded the Bulls by 18 (54 to 36).
The Rockets will host the 76ers on Monday.
The Bulls visit the Jazz on Monday.
Isaac Paredes has been a steady force in the middle of the Astros’ order, but a tweaked hamstring suffered during Thursday’s win over the White Sox may force Houston to recalibrate, again.
If Paredes misses time, the most logical shuffle would see Jose Altuve sliding back to second base, with Mauricio Dubón stepping in at third. It’s a reasonable patch. But internally, there’s also some intrigue around whether Cam Smith—currently thriving in right field—could slide back to his original position on the infield. The idea isn’t without merit; Smith is the club’s best offensive option at third in Paredes’ absence. But defensively, it’s hard to justify moving him right now. Smith made several standout plays in the Chicago series, reinforcing just how important his glove has become to the Astros’ outfield defense. One thing is for sure, the Astros can't afford to play both Dubon and Brendon Rodgers in the infield regularly. The offense would take a huge hit.
Timing, however, might be on Houston’s side. The next stretch of games features the Twins, Athletics, and Angels—three teams the Astros can beat even while navigating lineup instability. It helps that Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker are showing signs of life at the plate. Diaz, in particular, has been red-hot, posting an OPS north of 1.200 over the past week. Walker is batting over .300 during that same span, giving the Astros enough firepower to survive short-term turbulence.
Elsewhere, the outfield presents its own set of choices. Jacob Melton has shown enough in the field to warrant a serious look as Chas McCormick’s replacement when he returns from injury. He’s still searching for consistency at the plate, batting under .200 in his first 10 big league games. But his arm and left-handed bat give manager Joe Espada a little more lineup flexibility—especially with Yordan Alvarez still out and the offense skewing right-handed.
For now, the Astros have room to adjust. But if Paredes ends up missing significant time, they’ll need more than just a few temporary solutions to keep their momentum going.
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