{"id":709254,"date":"2026-04-12T22:19:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T22:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/709254\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T22:19:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T22:19:09","slug":"durant-dominates-as-rockets-beat-bulls-119-113","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/709254\/","title":{"rendered":"Durant Dominates as Rockets Beat Bulls 119-113"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"submission-link-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.nationaltoday.com\/news?location=Chicago%2C+IL&amp;city=Chicago&amp;type=Update+Existing+Story&amp;headline=Durant+Dominates+as+Rockets+Beat+Bulls+119-113&amp;page=https%3A%2F%2Fnationaltoday.com%2Fus%2Fil%2Fchicago%2Fnews%2F2026%2F04%2F12%2Fdurant-dominates-as-rockets-beat-bulls-119-113%2F\" class=\"submission-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/69dc0da8d7925.jpg\" alt=\"An abstract, expressionist painting featuring vibrant neon brushstrokes and splatters of color, capturing the raw energy and intensity of an NBA basketball game between the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls.\" width=\"1344\" height=\"768\" class=\"news-image\"\/>The Rockets&#8217; late-game surge and Durant&#8217;s decisive dunk encapsulate the thrilling back-and-forth of this high-scoring NBA clash.Chicago Today<\/p>\n<p>The Houston Rockets defeated the Chicago Bulls 119-113 in a nail-biter that featured 35 lead changes. Rockets star Kevin Durant led the way with 28 points, while Alperen Sengun recorded a double-double with 23 points and 11 assists. The game came down to the final minutes, with the Rockets going on a crucial 7-2 run to take the lead for good.<\/p>\n<p>        Why it matters<\/p>\n<p>This game showcased the high level of competitiveness in the NBA, with both teams battling back and forth throughout. The Rockets&#8217; victory snapped their three-game losing streak and demonstrated their ability to win close games, while the Bulls&#8217; Tre Jones had a career-high 34 points in a losing effort.<\/p>\n<p>                The details<\/p>\n<p>The Rockets trailed by 1 point with just over 3 minutes remaining, but then went on a 7-2 run, with Durant&#8217;s dunk igniting the comeback. Jabari Smith Jr. added a 3-pointer, and the Rockets took a 2-point lead. Tre Jones tried to keep the Bulls in it with a layup, but Smith&#8217;s jumper and 3-pointer extended the Rockets&#8217; lead to 7 points with under 90 seconds remaining. Kevin Huerter kept the Bulls in the game with a layup, but Durant&#8217;s dunk sealed the deal for Houston.<\/p>\n<p>        The game was played on April 12, 2026.The Rockets trailed by 1 point with just over 3 minutes remaining.<\/p>\n<p>          The players<\/p>\n<p>          Kevin Durant<\/p>\n<p>The star player for the Houston Rockets, who scored 28 points and made a crucial dunk to seal the victory.<\/p>\n<p>Alperen Sengun<\/p>\n<p>The Rockets&#8217; center, who recorded a double-double with 23 points and 11 assists.<\/p>\n<p>Tre Jones<\/p>\n<p>The Chicago Bulls&#8217; guard, who had a career-high 34 points in the losing effort.<\/p>\n<p>Jabari Smith Jr.<\/p>\n<p>The Rockets&#8217; forward, who hit a 3-pointer and a jumper to extend their lead in the final minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Kevin Huerter<\/p>\n<p>The Bulls&#8217; guard, who kept his team in the game with a layup late in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.nationaltoday.com\/news?location=Chicago%2C+IL&amp;city=Chicago&amp;type=Upload+Story+Photos&amp;headline=Durant+Dominates+as+Rockets+Beat+Bulls+119-113&amp;page=https%3A%2F%2Fnationaltoday.com%2Fus%2Fil%2Fchicago%2Fnews%2F2026%2F04%2F12%2Fdurant-dominates-as-rockets-beat-bulls-119-113%2F\" class=\"submission-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a><br \/>\n                What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n<p class=\"news-quote-quote\">\u201cWe knew it was going to be a tough game, but the guys really stepped up when it mattered most. Kevin&#8217;s dunk was the exclamation point on a great team effort.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"news-quote-cite\">\u2014 Stephen Silas, Rockets Head Coach<\/p>\n<p>                What\u2019s next<\/p>\n<p>The Bulls will look to bounce back when they take on the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night, while the Rockets will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>          The takeaway<\/p>\n<p>This game showcased the high level of competitiveness in the NBA, with both teams battling back and forth throughout. The Rockets&#8217; ability to rally late and secure the victory demonstrates their resilience and ability to win close games, while the Bulls&#8217; Tre Jones&#8217; career-high performance shows the depth of talent in the league.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a The Rockets&#8217; late-game surge and Durant&#8217;s decisive dunk encapsulate the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":709255,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3794],"tags":[7,292,194,4066,6,211],"class_list":{"0":"post-709254","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston-rockets","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-houston","10":"tag-houston-rockets","11":"tag-houstonrockets","12":"tag-nba","13":"tag-rockets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116394062617108963","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=709254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/709254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/709255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=709254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=709254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=709254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}