Matas Buzelis’ layup in the final seconds put the Chicago Bulls ahead to stay, and Collin Sexton came off the bench to score 25 points as they beat the Houston Rockets 132-124 on Monday night at the United Center.
Houston’s loss, combined with San Antonio’s 136-111 win over the Miami Heat, allowed the Spurs (54-18) to clinch the Southwest Division.
The Bulls (29-42) scored a season-high 41 points in the first quarter and led by as many as 22. But they trailed by four points late and needed Buzelis’ basket with 10.2 seconds remaining to move ahead to stay and post their first win over Houston in the teams’ last five meetings.
Kevin Durant fueled the Rockets’ comeback by scoring 15 of his game-high 40 points in the fourth quarter. Durant was 15 of 23 from the field, marking the ninth straight game he shot 50% or better, the third-longest streak of his career.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka was ejected after being assessed his second technical foul with 9.1 seconds remaining.
Sexton scored 17 of his points in the first quarter, while Buzelis finished with 23 and Leonard Miller 17. Josh Giddey, Tre Jones and Jalen Smith each scored 15 points for the Bulls, with Giddey adding 13 assists.
After trailing by 17 at halftime, the Rockets (43-28) took the lead on a Jabari Smith Jr. 3-pointer with 5:56 to play. Alperen Şengün scored 33 for the Rockets and Amen Thompson added 23.
Jalen Smith, who was listed as questionable after missing the Bulls’ last game with an ankle injury, tied his season high in points and finished with six rebounds and two blocks off the bench despite being limited to 26 minutes.
The Rockets had won two straight after inserting second-year guard Reed Sheppard into the starting lineup. Sheppard shot 3 of 14 from 3-point distance.
Up next
- Rockets: Visit Minnesota on Wednesday
- Bulls: Visit Philadelphia on Wednesday
