Thunder Game Day: OKC’s Season Tips Off in Chicago

The long-awaited season opener is here for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder will be on the road to start the season as they take on the Chicago Bulls. Chet Holmgren’s NBA debut will come against a couple of great rebounders, Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond.

With Holmgren’s debut, it will also be the debut of the Thunder’s starting five. The starters looked impressive in the preseason but will get their first real test on Wednesday night.

ODDS:

The Thunder enter the day as one-point favorites to the Bulls, and the total over/under is 228 points.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

Aside from Holmgren’s battle on the glass against Vucevic and Drummond, this game will be decided by the matchup of elite scorers on both sides. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could be in the hunt for the scoring title this year and will look to get off to a strong start in Chicago.

But Gilgeous-Alexander will have to outperform the duo of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. While team success has not been there for DeRozan and LaVine, their elite scoring ability cannot be taken lightly after both averaged more than 24 points last season.

Luguentz Dort will get one of those matchups, but Jalen Williams will likely be thrown on the other, giving him a challenge to start the season.

Offensively, the dynamic of Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey will again be at the center of attention. With Giddey’s heightened aggressiveness in international play and preseason, how he attacks Chicago’s defenders will be something to watch.

Last season, the Thunder went 2-0 against the Bulls, including a 14-point win in Chicago.

RECORDS:

Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0) vs. Chicago Bulls (0-0)

INJURIES:

Check out our live injury tracker, along with our game day injury report that will release later today.

WHEN:

Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 7:00 PM CT

LOCATION:

United Center - Chicago, IL

TV/RADIO:

Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal

FINAL WORD:

While the starters are set, seeing who can make their way into the regular rotation off the bench will be something to watch over the first few games. Nothing will be set in stone after game one, but there could start to be some clarity on what the Thunder will look like this season.

The Thunder’s opening two-game road trip will continue in Cleveland on Friday before starting a six-game homestand.

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