James Harden hit the step-back jumper to force overtime. He drained another to put the Rockets in front to stay. He scored 42 points and completed the Yao Ming halftime celebration with a comical, leaping hug into the Hall of Famer's arms.
The Rockets, however, rallied just in time to beat the Bulls, 121-117, in overtime because they finally took control with defense.
After two nights searching for fourth-quarter stops, the Rockets shut down the Bulls down the stretch on five-consecutive possessions in an 8-0 run to force overtime. Once in overtime, the Bulls made 4 of 14 shots as the Rockets finally secured the win they needed after several weeks of slides and to mark the occasion of Yao's number retirement.