Rip Returns, But Bulls Drop 2nd Consecutive Game
CHICAGO (AP) -- Goran Dragic scored 21 points, Luis Scola added 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets rallied to beat Chicago 99-93 Monday night, giving the Bulls back-to-back losses for the first time this season.
The Bulls had gone a franchise-record 86 regular-season games without dropping two in a row, second only to Utah's 95-game run in the late 1990s. But after getting mauled by Oklahoma City, they fell again for the second time in as many days, dropping a wild game that saw several major swings in momentum.
The Rockets trailed by as much as 15 in the first half and were down 13 in the third, but they went on a 14-1 run to tie it at 62 late in the quarter, and then had a 17-2 burst in the final minute of the third to take an 84-72 lead.
Chase Budinger chipped in with 13 points, hitting three big 3-pointers early in the fourth. Courtney Lee scored 13, and Marcus Camby had 12 points and 11 rebounds to help the Rockets bounce back from an overtime loss to Indiana on Sunday.
Bulls guard Richard "Rip" Hamilton returned to the lineup for the first time since injuring his right shoulder on March 5.
Meanwhile, Bulls star Derrick Rose missed his 11th straight game Monday because of an injured right groin.
Rose said after Sunday's loss at Oklahoma City that he thinks he'll be ready for the playoffs even though he still wasn't really able to run. He said he tried, but "they're taking it easy." He's mostly been limited to lifting weights and stretching, although coach Tom Thibodeau says he has been running.
Thibodeau also says he's "adding on to what he's doing each and every day" without setbacks.
The Bulls were 14-6 without Rose and 7-3 during this stretch before Monday.
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