Game ID: 22500565
Chicago Bulls @ Houston Rockets
Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
HOU 29 28 33 29 119CHI 24 36 28 25 113
CHI @ HOU ScoutingCHI @ HOU Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
HOU availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Adams missed 2 since 1/01, returns tonight: 31 min (137% of 23)
BACK Sengun back 1/01 after 2, 17 min since (52% of 34)
BACK Finney-Smith back 12/25 after 27, 15 min since (95% of 16)
HOU availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restBACK Sengun back 1/01 after 2, 17 min since (52% of 34)
BACK Adams back 1/05 after 2, 31 min since (137% of 23)
HOU availability going into 1/09 · 1 day's restOUT Sengun missed 2 since 1/05, out tonight
BACK Adams back 1/05 after 2, 31 min since (135% of 23)
HOU availability going into 1/11 · 1 day's restOUT Sengun missed 3 since 1/05, returns tonight: 35 min (105% of 34)
BACK Adams back 1/05 after 2, 31 min since (138% of 23)
HOU availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restBACK Sengun back 1/11 after 3, 35 min since (105% of 34)
BACK Adams back 1/05 after 2, 29 min since (129% of 23)
HOU availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 2 since 1/11, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 1/11 after 3, 36 min since (106% of 34)
BACK Adams back 1/05 after 2, 27 min since (119% of 23)
HOU availability going into 1/16 · back-to-backOUT Eason missed 3 since 1/11, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 2 since 1/13, returns tonight: 16 min (99% of 16)
BACK Sengun back 1/11 after 3, 35 min since (103% of 34)
HOU availability going into 1/18 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 4 since 1/11, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 1/11 after 3, 34 min since (101% of 34)
BACK Finney-Smith back 1/16 after 2, 16 min since (99% of 16)
HOU availability going into 1/20 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 5 since 1/11, returns tonight: 20 min (75% of 26)
OUT Holiday missed 2 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 1/11 after 3, 34 min since (100% of 34)
BACK Finney-Smith back 1/16 after 2, 16 min since (98% of 16)
CHI availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Giddey missed 2 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT White missed 2 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Collins missed 3 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Carter back 12/29 after 8, 6 min since (50% of 11)
BACK Terry back 12/29 after 5, 11 min since (100% of 11)
CHI availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Giddey missed 3 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT White missed 3 since 12/31, returns tonight: 25 min (87% of 29)
OUT Collins missed 4 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Carter missed 2 since 1/02, returns tonight: 12 min (106% of 11)
BACK Terry back 12/29 after 5, 12 min since (105% of 11)
CHI availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Giddey missed 4 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Collins missed 5 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK White back 1/05 after 3, 25 min since (87% of 29)
BACK Carter back 12/29 after 8, 8 min since (69% of 11)
BACK Terry back 12/29 after 5, 10 min since (92% of 11)
CHI availability going into 1/10 · 2 days' restOUT Giddey missed 5 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Smith missed 2 since 1/05, returns tonight: 16 min (79% of 21)
OUT Collins missed 6 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK White back 1/05 after 3, 25 min since (87% of 29)
BACK Carter back 1/05 after 2, 7 min since (60% of 11)
CHI availability going into 1/13 · 2 days' restOUT Giddey missed 6 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Collins missed 7 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK White back 1/05 after 3, 27 min since (93% of 29)
BACK Smith back 1/10 after 2, 16 min since (79% of 21)
BACK Carter back 1/05 after 2, 5 min since (49% of 11)
CHI availability going into 1/14 · back-to-backOUT Giddey missed 7 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Collins missed 8 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK White back 1/05 after 3, 27 min since (93% of 29)
BACK Smith back 1/10 after 2, 26 min since (127% of 21)
BACK Carter back 1/05 after 2, 5 min since (49% of 11)
CHI availability going into 1/16 · 1 day's restOUT Giddey missed 8 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Collins missed 9 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Carter missed 2 since 1/13, out tonight
BACK White back 1/05 after 3, 28 min since (96% of 29)
BACK Smith back 1/10 after 2, 23 min since (112% of 21)
CHI availability going into 1/18 · 1 day's restOUT Giddey missed 9 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Collins missed 10 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Carter missed 3 since 1/13, returns tonight: 3 min (25% of 11)
BACK Smith back 1/10 after 2, 26 min since (127% of 21)
CHI availability going into 1/20 · 1 day's restOUT Giddey missed 10 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Collins missed 11 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Smith back 1/10 after 2, 27 min since (131% of 21)
BACK Carter back 1/18 after 3, 3 min since (25% of 11)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 102 a night and allowing 106, shooting 41 percent and 23 from three, 24 free throws a game; Durant at 30 and Thompson at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 13 free throws a game; Buzelis at 20 and Vučević at 19 a game. Without Giddey (6 straight), Collins (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Chicago at 33 percent from three to Houston's 23 and the line, where Houston takes 24 free throws a game to Chicago's 13. Call it Houston 114, Chicago 110, Chicago keeping it close.
1/05 vs PHX 100-97 — HOU notes
HOU won 100-97. HOU shot 44% (38 of 87) to PHX's 42%, 9 of 37 from three, and went to the line 21 times to PHX's 12 — 15 points from the stripe to their 9. The glass went 51-40 for them. Durant led with 26 (9 of 21, 2 of 12 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Smith Jr. added 17, Thompson 17. The hinge was Q3, 24-18: HOU came in trailing by 6 and left it level. HOU trailed 54-60 at the half and won the second half 46-37. Sheppard was the night's best plus/minus at +8.
1/07 @ POR 102-103 — HOU notes
HOU lost 102-103. HOU took 16 more shots (99 to 83), fed by 24 offensive rebounds, but shot 37% to POR's 43%, 8 of 36 from three. The glass went 57-38 for them. Durant led with 37 (14 of 26, 2 of 6 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Thompson added 24, Eason 15. Q4 was theirs, 27-22, the deficit cut from 6 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 81-75 against them.
1/09 @ POR 105-111 — HOU notes
HOU lost 105-111. HOU shot 42% (40 of 96) to POR's 42%, 10 of 44 from three. The glass went 56-43 for them. Durant led with 30 (11 of 20, 4 of 9 from three); Thompson added 24, Sheppard 20. Q3 was theirs, 34-22, but the other 3 periods went 89-71 against them. They led by as many as 13.
1/11 @ SAC 98-111 — HOU notes
HOU lost 98-111. HOU shot 43% (36 of 84) to SAC's 48%, 7 of 30 from three, and went to the line 29 times to SAC's 20 — 19 points from the stripe to their 15. Thompson led with 31 (11 of 17, 9 of 12 at the line); Durant added 23, Sengun 19. Q1 was theirs, 23-22, but the other 3 periods went 89-75 against them. Holiday's -19 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/13 vs CHI 119-113 — HOU notes
HOU won 119-113. HOU shot 51% (45 of 88) to CHI's 44%, 7 of 24 from three, and went to the line 29 times to CHI's 23 — 22 points from the stripe to their 19. The glass went 50-40 for them. Durant led with 28 (12 of 23, 1 of 5 from three); Thompson added 23, Sengun 23. The hinge was Q1, 29-24: from level to 5 ahead. HOU trailed 57-60 at the half and won the second half 62-53. Sengun was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
1/15 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 107, shooting 43 percent and 24 from three, 26 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Thompson at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Eason (2 straight). One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 27 from three, 30 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Hartenstein (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-10 a night and OKC minus-8 and the defense, Houston allowing 107 a night to OKC's 115. Call it Houston 114, OKC 113, OKC keeping it close.
1/16 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 110, shooting 41 percent and 25 from three, 26 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Thompson at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Eason (3 straight), Finney-Smith (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 114, shooting 53 percent and 44 from three, 19 free throws a game; Edwards at 25 and Randle at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 44 percent from three to Houston's 25 and the line, where Houston takes 26 free throws a game to Minnesota's 19. Call it Minnesota 116, Houston 112, Houston keeping it close.
1/18 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 110, shooting 43 percent and 29 from three, 27 free throws a game; Durant at 28 and Thompson at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Eason (4 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; Murphy III at 29 and Williamson at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Jones (6 straight), Murray (14 straight), Alvarado (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, New Orleans at 39 percent from three to Houston's 29 and the defense, Houston allowing 110 a night to New Orleans's 119. Call it Houston 117, New Orleans 113, New Orleans keeping it close.
1/20 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 110, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Durant at 25 and Sengun at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Eason (5 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 28 and Fox at 17 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Vassell (11 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, San Antonio at 39 percent from three to Houston's 32 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-6 a night and San Antonio plus-2. Call it Houston 114, San Antonio 111, San Antonio keeping it close.
1/03 vs CHA 99-112 — CHI notes
CHI lost 99-112. CHI shot 45% (39 of 87) to CHA's 43%, 11 of 41 from three, and got to the line 14 times to CHA's 23. Vučević led with 28 (11 of 15, 3 of 4 from three); Buzelis added 17, Dosunmu 16. Q1 was theirs, 39-27, but the other 3 periods went 85-60 against them. They led by as many as 15. Phillips's -15 in 15 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 @ BOS 101-115 — CHI notes
CHI lost 101-115. CHI shot 44% (38 of 86) to BOS's 40%, 16 of 46 from three. Buzelis led with 26 (9 of 12, 3 of 4 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Vučević added 15, Dosunmu 15. Q4 was theirs, 34-30, the deficit cut from 18 to 14, but the other 3 periods went 85-67 against them. Huerter's -12 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/07 @ DET 93-108 — CHI notes
CHI lost 93-108. CHI shot 43% (37 of 87) to DET's 49%, 13 of 34 from three. CHI turned it over 17 times to DET's 8, and DET turned those into 10 steals. Dosunmu led with 24 (10 of 15, 4 of 6 from three); Buzelis added 20, Vučević 20. Q2 was theirs, 26-22, the deficit cut from 6 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 86-67 against them. Dosunmu's -20 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/10 vs DAL 125-107 — CHI notes
CHI won 125-107. CHI shot 52% (50 of 97) to DAL's 43%, 15 of 46 from three, and got to the line 12 times to DAL's 25. The glass went 52-42 for them. White led with 22 (9 of 15, 2 of 7 from three); Dosunmu added 20, Vučević 15. The hinge was Q1, 36-28: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 27. Huerter was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/13 @ HOU 113-119 — CHI notes
CHI lost 113-119. CHI shot 44% (41 of 94) to HOU's 51%, 12 of 37 from three, and got to the line 23 times to HOU's 29. The glass went 40-50 against them. Jones led with 34 (11 of 12, 5 of 6 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Buzelis added 19, Vučević 14. Q2 was theirs, 36-28, turning a 5-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 91-77 against them. Buzelis's -13 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/14 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 14 free throws a game; Buzelis at 19 and Vučević at 18 a game. Without Giddey (7 straight), Collins (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 128, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 20 free throws a game; Markkanen at 28 and George at 19 a game. Without Kessler (34 straight), Harkless (25 straight), Tshiebwe (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the defense, Chicago allowing 112 a night to Utah's 128 and the line, where Utah takes 20 free throws a game to Chicago's 14. Call it Chicago 120, Utah 117, Utah keeping it close.
1/16 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 33 from three, 16 free throws a game; Porter Jr. at 25 and Dëmin at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Williams (4 straight), Saraf (15 straight), Johnson (2 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 15 free throws a game; Vučević at 20 and Buzelis at 17 a game. Without Giddey (8 straight), Collins (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Chicago has been plus-1 a night and Brooklyn minus-5. Call it Brooklyn 114, Chicago 112, Chicago keeping it close.
1/18 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 17 free throws a game; Vučević at 21 and Dosunmu at 17 a game. Without Giddey (9 straight), Collins (10 straight). One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 112, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 15 free throws a game; Porter Jr. at 23 and Clowney at 14 a game. Without Williams (5 straight), Saraf (16 straight), Johnson (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Chicago 116, Brooklyn 111.
1/20 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Vučević at 20 and White at 17 a game. Without Giddey (10 straight), Collins (11 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 30 free throws a game; Leonard at 31 and Harden at 28 a game. That is 5 straight wins. They have lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Leonard (2 straight), Jones Jr. (8 straight), Bogdanović (12 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 30 free throws a game to Chicago's 17 and the glass, where Chicago has been plus-1 a night and the Clippers minus-5. Call it Chicago 116, the Clippers 113, the Clippers keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CC C. Capela
JD J. Davison
JO J. Okogie
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
KD K. Durant
RS R. Sheppard
SA S. Adams
CHIAD A. Dosunmu
DT D. Terry
IO I. Okoro
JS J. Smith
KH K. Huerter
MB M. Buzelis
NV N. Vučević
PW P. Williams
TJ T. Jones
VU Vucevic
HOU/CHI the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Durant's 28 points, Sengun's double-double lead Rockets past Bulls in 119-113
HOUSTON -- — Kevin Durant had 28 points and Alperen Sengun added 23 with 11 assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a 119-113 win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
There were 35 lead changes in the game with neither team able to build a cushion until the Rockets did in the final minutes.
Houston trailed by 1 with about 3 1/2 minutes to go before going on a 7-2 run to make it 110-106. Durant got things going in that stretch with a dunk and Jabari Smith Jr. added a 3-pointer.
A layup by Tre Jones cut the lead to 2 but Smith made a jumper before knocking down a 3 from the top of the key to extend the lead to 115-108 with about 90 seconds remaining.
Kevin Huerter made a layup for Chicago after that but a booming dunk by Durant left Houston up 117-110 with less than a minute to play.
Amen Thompson added 23 points for the Rockets and Smith scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to help Houston snap a three-game skid.
Jones had a career-high 34 points for the Bulls, who lost for the fourth time in five games.
The Rockets led by 6 with about eight minutes left before the Bulls scored the next seven points, with three pointers by Isaac Okoro and Ayo Dosunmu , to take a 99-98 lead midway through the fourth.
Houston was just 4 of 20 on 3-point attempts when Thompson hit one to put the Rockets back on top. But Matas Buzelis made one for the Bulls seconds later to give them a 102-101 lead.
Thompson made two free throws after that before a bad pass by Durant led to a basket by Buzelis that left Chicago up 104-103 with 3 1/2 minutes left.