Don't worry Bulls fans, everything is back to normal. The Bulls lost 107-100 to Houston Tuesday night, breaking a three-game winning streak. If they would have won, it would have been the first time the Bulls strung together four wins in a row in nearly two years, but it was not meant to be. Not this team.
This loss was a little different from the series of losses that the Bulls experienced before the three game hot streak that was possibly brought on by an Jerry Reinsdorf-Vinny Del Negro evil plan. Though they came within five points, they did not give up the win in the final minutes. Instead, they were outplayed by a team that is in the middle of the playoff pack for the Western Conference, and they were absolutely throttled on the free throw line. The Rockets shot 90 percent to the Bulls 60 percent from the charity stripe, which was a ten-point swing between the teams.
Yao Ming was especially effective in beating the Bulls. The Chinese big man scored 28 points, which included a perfect 10-10 in free throws and four blocks. Luis Scola helped his team win with 18 rebounds, which more than doubled his season average, and he added 13 points. The Bulls spread around their scoring, with six players in scoring in the double digits, led by Luol Deng's 28 points.
Next, the Bulls will show if they can shake off the loss when they travel to New Orleans for a Wednesday night game. The Bulls will have an opportunity to take advantage of a hobbled Hornets team who will be without Chris Paul (groin) and Tyson Chandler (ankle.)
