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With four starters getting at least 20 points, including 20 by Palo Alto High grad Jeremy Lin, the Houston Rockets scored easily and often on the way to a 120-97 NBA victory over the host Chicago Bulls on Christmas Day.

Lin made 8-fof-12 field goals and added a team-high 11 assists as the Rockets moved to 15-12, the same mark as the Bulls. James Harden had 26 points for the Rockets, who have won four in a row for the first time this season.

Omer Asik, the former Bulls' backup center, finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds for Houston.

"It's a good example of what we can do," said Lin.

Houston went 13-for-18 from the field in the second quarter, with 11 of those baskets coming in the paint. That opened a 17-point halftime lead for the Rockets, who out-rebounded the Bulls, 45-31, and shot 56 percent from the field to just 45 percent for the Bulls.

The Rockets went on a 14-2 run in the second quarter, with Lin scoring 12 points, to open a 13-point lead and the Bulls got no closer than nine the rest of the quarter. The closest the Bulls got in the second half was 15 points, and they trailed by as much as 35.

In the past two games, the Rockets have beaten two of the best defensive teams in the league, scoring 121 against Memphis to win by 25 and scoring 120 and winning by 23 against the Bulls.

— Palo Alto Online Sports

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