3 takeaways from Chicago Bulls' loss to Houston Rockets that snapped their 3-game win streak

The Bulls lost the battle of Big 3s and fell to the worst-seeded team in the Western Conference.

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Yet another slow start condemned the Chicago Bulls to a loss against the Houston Rockets, dropping them to 14-19 on the season—the Bulls are now 3-8 against teams below .500. Here are key takeaways from the game.

Different mentality backfired

The Rockets ended Chicago's season-long win streak with a 133-118 beatdown at the United Center. 

Coming off three-straight wins, the Bulls entered yesterday's game as heavy favorites. However, their lackluster approach backfired, as they fell to the worst-seeded team in the Western Conference.

"Not the same mentality," Zach LaVine said about how the team approached their matchup against Houston. "(We) came out a little bit lackadaisical, probably. Taking a team for granted, and you can't do that in the NBA."

Slow start followed by a huge 2nd quarter

The Bulls' habit of falling behind early was on full display yesterday. They allowed Houston to jump to 10-0 in the first 1:56 of the game. With 7:13 left in the opening quarter, the Rockets were up 23-5.

It's not like Stephen Silas' team shot the lights out over the span; they went 2-for-9 from three. However, the Bulls' poor interior and transition defense allowed the 22 points in the paint, resulting in a 36-26 deficit going into the second quarter.

"We can't be a one-end team. And it certainly started that way, defensively," Billy Donovan said. "It was a combination of our physicality on the ball, getting over screens; our bigs having to stay in coverage a little bit longer to get the ball under control; the ball going into the middle of the floor and us in rotation."

The Bulls responded with a huge 39-point second quarter to take a 65-64 half-time lead. Led by LaVine (10 points) and DeMar DeRozan (8 points), Chicago had a great defensive display that sparked a 15-3 run which turned an 11-point deficit into a one-point lead going into the third quarter.

The battle of Big 3s

Unfortunately for the Bulls, it was all downhill from there.

Despite leading 74-67 to start the third, Chicago allowed the Rockets to go on a 17-1 run—they were up by as many as 14 over the stretch. They entered the last quarter down 99-89, allowing Houston to come away with their 10th win of the season.

Despite another up-and-down performance, the Bulls had a chance to extend their streak to four wins. What ultimately cost them is the fact they lost the battle of Big Threes.

DeRozan finished the game with 31 points, LaVine added 22, and Nikola Vucevic put up 10 points on 4-of-13 from the field. Meanwhile, the Rockets trio had 85 points on a combined 33-of-49 shooting.

Kevin Porter Jr. had game-high 36 points on 6-of-12 from three. Jalen Green also hit six three-pointers and finished the game with 26 points. Alperen Şengün racked up a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds while making 10 of his 12 field goal attempts.