Eric Gordon led a balanced effort with 16 points (70% FG) in 20 minutes as the Rockets crushed the host Chicago Bulls in Friday’s preseason opener, 125-104 (box score). Houston was an astounding +33 in just 20 minutes played by the veteran shooting guard.
The Rockets were without three presumed starters in James Harden, PJ Tucker, and Christian Wood, but it didn’t seem to matter against a clearly overmatched Bulls squad at United Center.
Former All-Stars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins each made healthy returns after missing the entire 2019-20 NBA season due to injury. Wall had 13 points (60.0% FG), nine assists, five rebounds, and two steals in his Houston debut, and the Rockets were +27 in 19 minutes played by the 6-foot-4 guard. Meanwhile, Cousins scored 14 points (71.4% FG) and made three 3-pointers in 15 minutes as the team’s starting center, and he also had five rebounds and two blocked shots.
See below for a compilation of game analysis, videos, and postgame quotes in several prominent areas from Friday’s matchup.
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Successful debut for Stephen Silas
Successful debut for John Wall
Successful debut for Boogie Cousins
Great contributions from Gordon, Caboclo, Green, Nwaba, Tate, etc
Rockets hit 24 3's & committed just 6 TO's
As good a preseason opener as one could hope for.
— Craig Ackerman (@ca_rockets) December 12, 2020