Gilgeous-Alexander Leads OKC Past Chicago in Overtime
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The Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Chicago Bulls 123-119 on Friday night at the Paycom Center, ending a three-game losing streak for OKC.
DeMar DeRozan led the way for Chicago with 30 points, six assists and five rebounds. Fifth-year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was Oklahoma City’s top scorer once again, tallying 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
The Thunder got off to a slow start against the Bulls, falling behind 9-0 out of the gate. Gilgeous-Alexander got OKC on the board with a nice take to the basket, but an 8-for-8 start from Chicago helped give the Bulls a 14-2 advantage early in the game.
Oklahoma City fought its way back into the contest behind 12 first quarter points from SGA. The Kentucky product knocked down a buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter to give the Thunder a 32-30 lead after one.
The two teams went back and forth at the beginning of the second quarter before a 10-0 run by Chicago gave the Bulls a 46-41 lead midway through the period. A 3-pointer from forward Darius Bazley and two free throws from Jalen Williams tied the game once again.
Chicago and Oklahoma City continued to go blow-for-blow the remainder of the quarter, heading to halftime tied at 59. At the half, Gilgeous-Alexander had already scored 15 points while Bazley pitched in 11 points in nine minutes on the floor.
The Thunder entered the second half on a hot streak, embarking on a 10-3 run at the beginning of the third quarter stamped by back-to-back dunks from Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. A few possessions later, Robinson-Earl broke up a lob attempt from Bulls guard Zach LaVine to big man Nikola Vucevic, which resulted in two points on the other end for Oklahoma City.
After an easy layup in transition for second-year guard Josh Giddey, the Thunder held a 76-66 lead. Chicago quickly clawed back, going on a run of its own that would cut OKC's lead to three. Oklahoma City forward Aleksej Pokusevski knocked down a jumper at the buzzer to give the Thunder an 87-80 lead heading into the final frame.
The two teams traded baskets once again early in the fourth quarter before both squads hit a dry spell around the six minute mark. A 3-pointer from LaVine and a tough, contested layup by DeMar DeRozan cut OKC's lead to one with less than four minutes left in the game.
LaVine connected on a shot from beyond the arc a few possessions later to give Chicago back the lead. After a missed jumper from Gilgeous-Alexander, DeRozan nailed a mid-range shot over Giddey to extend the Bulls lead to four.
The Thunder tied the game with two free throws from SGA and a putback layup from veteran wing Kenrich Williams. After another bucket from Gilgeous-Alexander, DeRozan responded by knocking down a mid-range jumper of his own, tying the game at 110 with less than a minute left.
After a missed shot from DeRozan, OKC gained possession with nine seconds left. Pokusevski caught the inbound pass for Oklahoma City, but was fouled by LaVine with seven seconds on the clock.
This time, Gilgeous-Alexander received the inbound pass, but was unable to find the bottom of the net. Tied at 110, the Bulls and Thunder went to overtime.
DeRozan struck first in the extra period, giving the Bulls a two point lead. Pokusevski answered back by sinking two free throws to tie the game once again.
After a three-point play by DeRozan gave Chicago a 117-116 lead, Giddey accelerated to the rim for a layup, giving OKC a one point advantage. Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down a mid-range jumper that would have extended Oklahoma City's lead to three, but Lu Dort grabbed the rim before the shot went in, nullifying the basket.
Dort then fouled DeRozan, who made both free throws to steal the lead back from the Thunder. On the ensuing offensive possession, Gilgeous-Alexander got the ball with less than three seconds left on the shot clock before pump faking and drawing a shooting foul on DeRozan.
The budding superstar knocked down all three of his free throws, which proved to be the dagger as the Thunder would hang on to win 123-119. OKC will travel to Houston to take on the Rockets tomorrow at 7 P.M. CT.
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