Rockets-Bulls: Big Men Lead the Way For Houston

The Rockets continued their dominant play of late, topping the Chicago Bulls 107-100 at home on Tuesday night.

Led by Yao Ming and Luis Scola, the Bulls had no answer for the Rockets' superior inside game.

Yao took it to the small, quick big men of the Bulls all night, scoring 28 points on 9-12 shooting. He also capitalized on his free throw attempts, going 10-10, proving that you can't just foul him on defense in an attempt to stop him.

Luis Scola had a monster game on the boards. He had 16 rebounds before the fourth quarter, and if Carl Landry hadn't had such a terrific fourth quarter, he would have gotten 20.

As it happens, Landry dominated the offensive boards in the fourth, so Adelman saw fit to leave him in the game, and Scola only grabbed 18 for the night. Only 18?

The Rockets got their "big three" back, so Artest returned to his role as the sixth man. He had a poor shooting night, and only managed 10 points.

Tracy McGrady showed signs of life that every Rockets fan has been waiting for. Late in the first quarter he blew past his defender and posterized Tyrus Thomas with an emphatic slam dunk.

He stared down Thomas, who fouled him on the play, showing emotion and attitude we had not seen so far this season. It may have counted as two points, but it felt like much more to fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p2u3jkJKTU

McGrady finished with 16 points and six assists, going 7-14 from the field.

The game was close until the pivotal third quarter, when the Rockets exploded for 31 points, and stretching their three-point halftime lead to 13.  The Rockets led by as many as 14 in the fourth, and avoided a late push by Ben Gordon and the Bulls.

Aaron Brooks went off in the fourth quarter, and kept the Rockets' lead intact. He finished with 18 points, outplaying yet another young stud point guard in Derrick Rose. Brooks has shown glimpses of greatness this season, and is developing into a terrific young asset for the Rockets.

The game featured something I called and desperately wished for in my previous recap, which was running the offense through Yao.

When Joakim Noah fouled out early in the fourth, the Rockets went to Yao down low for about 10 straight possessions. He either took his man and scored, or dished it out for the open shots. The Rockets moved the ball well all night, and are running Adelman’s offense to perfection of late.