CHICAGO — Derrick Rose scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, and the Chicago Bulls rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the Houston Rockets 105-102 on Saturday night.
Trailing 99-82 with just under six minutes left, the Bulls outscored the Rockets 23-3 the rest of the way to pull out a dramatic win in their first home game since the deaths of franchise icons Norm Van Lier and Johnny “Red” Kerr.
Rose and Ben Gordon (16 points) each scored 11 during that stretch. John Salmons hit a free throw with 11.1 seconds remaining to make it 105-102, then blocked Ron Artest’s off-balance 3-pointer just before the buzzer to preserve the win and break the Rockets’ season-high six-game win streak.
Artest, who scored a season-best 32 points, argued vehemently for a foul and had to be escorted away by Dikembe Mutombo.
It was a bitter end to an otherwise outstanding performance in which Artest set a career-high by hitting 6 of 12 3-pointers.
Yao Ming added 17 points, Luis Scola scored 16 while grabbing 11 rebounds, but the Rockets let what looked like their first road win in more than a month slip away.
Gordon’s jumper tied it at 102 with just over a minute left, and Rose gave the Bulls a 104-102 lead when he scored in the lane with 32 seconds remaining.
Artest then missed two 3-pointers from the left side before Salmons grabbed the rebound and hit the first of two 3s. Yao rebounded the second attempt, giving the Rockets a chance to tie, but they nearly turned the ball over out of a timeout before Salmons blocked Artest’s 3.
It was a disappointing loss for Houston, which was coming off a 6-0 homestand. The Rockets continue to struggle on the road, dropping their fourth straight, and have not won on an opponent’s court since beating Detroit on Jan. 25.
The news wasn’t all good for the Bulls, either. They lost forward Luol Deng to a stress fracture in his right tibia.
Notes: Rockets coach Rick Adelman, who played with Van Lier in
Chicago, remembered him as “a terrific competitor and Johnny’s been here forever. I can’t remember when he wasn’t here. It’s unfortunate and a shame that had to happen. It was the same day you lost two people who were so important to the organization.” … There will be funerals in Chicago for Van Lier on Monday and for Kerr in suburban Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., on Thursday. … Bulls F Tim Thomas hyperextended his left knee in the first half and played just seven minutes. … The Rockets waived little-used shooting guard Luther Head before the game. A Chicago product, he appeared in only 22 games this season and has been out since Jan. 10 with a right foot injury.
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