The Houston Rockets almost pulled off one of their best comebacks of the season Monday night. But almost doesn’t matter when the gap is that wide.

Houston fell 132-124 to the Chicago Bulls, and while the story will be the comeback that brought them all the way back from 22 down, the real difference was sitting right there in the box score.

Advertisement

The benches weren’t even close. Chicago’s second unit poured in 53 points. Houston’s managed nine on very limited minutes. That’s not a gap- that’s the game.

At some point, that shifts from personnel to decision-making.

Houston has bodies it can go to. Josh Okogie saw barely any real run, and Dorian Finney-Smith was limited, despite being the kind of players who can bring energy and defensive presence when a game starts slipping. Instead, Udoka leaned heavily on his starters, riding Sengun deep into the fourth while visibly fatigued.

It’s a tough balance in a game like this. You want your best players on the floor during a comeback, but there’s a cost- and late in this one, it showed.

Advertisement

While the Rockets’ starters did more than enough to win, the lack of production behind them forced the top unit to carry an unsustainable load all night. And no one felt that more than Alperen Sengun.

Sengun was unreal, pouring in 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists on 16-of-19 shooting. He controlled the offense, dominated inside, and kept Houston alive when things easily could have gotten out of hand early. But by the fourth quarter, it was obvious. He was visibly gassed.

Udoka rode him for over 37 minutes, and you could see it down the stretch. The same energy that fueled the comeback started to fade just enough in the moments where Houston needed one more push. And that’s the problem when the bench isn’t utilized.

There’s no relief- no stretch where your stars can breathe.

Advertisement

Kevin Durant (40 points) and Amen Thompson (23 points) carried heavy minutes too, trying to erase a brutal first half where Chicago buried Houston with threes and pace. The Rockets clawed all the way back, even taking a late lead, but every run needed perfect execution.

Meanwhile, Chicago kept getting contributions everywhere, especially from their bench. Collin Sexton dropped 25, Leonard Miller added 17, and the Bulls never really had to rely on just one group to sustain momentum while Houston did. And it cost them.

In a game where your stars show up like that, you should win, but not when the support isn’t there.