Thunder Sweep Season Series Against Bulls

After an impressive win against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Chicago Bulls on the second night of back-to-back. They downed the Bulls 124-110 in a response to a big win, and left no time for a hangover.

The two teams matched up on Nov. 25, where the Thunder won 123-119 in a close, overtime matchup.

To start off the game, the Thunder jumped on the Bulls 21-11 before the Bulls eventually showed resistance. Of course, playing without DeMar DeRozan in this matchup helped throw off their rhythm.

The Bulls ended the first frame on a 10-3 run, with the Thunder leading 33-31. In the second quarter, it was the Bulls who had another run and took a lead over the Thunder. Darius Bazley and Tre Mann then came in and made their impact felt, eliminating the Bulls run and tying the game. This sparked a huge stretch for the Thunder, where they ended the half with a 72-58 lead, capping a 39-point second quarter.

Trends on the season would show that the Thunder should have put this game away in the third quarter with a big point differential, but the Bulls actually won the third quarter 32-19, ensuring that the Thunder didn’t run away with the game.

With a one-point lead heading into the final frame, it was up to Josh Giddey and his lineup to start the quarter solidly. They held on – and even furthered their lead – until Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came in to close the game.

However, this wasn’t the case. Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have to come close the game and save the day. Instead, the Thunder played solid, team basketball, which allowed Gilgeous-Alexander to score at his own pace rather than impose his will because the offense is dry.

The signs of a good team were there as they finished the game off strong, winning the final frame with a 33-20 margin.

The bright side is that the Thunder won, while scoring 124 points, and Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have to shoot 20+ shots and lead the team in scoring. In fact, he was the third leading scorer, behind Giddey and Jalen Williams.

Williams pulled together 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds. Giddey, the Thunder’s leading scorer, had 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting and had ten of his own rebounds.

The sight of Gilgeous-Alexander, who shot 7-of-14 of the field, not having to carry the load offensively and the team still succeeding and winning with ease was quite settling. The game proved that the Thunder are ready for the next step and can provide Gilgeous-Alexander with the proper help to be able to win on any given night.

With DeRozan out for the Bulls, LaVine had a load of offense he needed to carry, but a matchup against Lu Dort wouldn't allow that. The Thunder held LaVine to 5-of-19 shooting, though he racked up 25 points (14-of-15 on free throws).

With the win, the Thunder sit at 20-23 on the season, which is half of a game behind a Play-In spot, and there’s plenty of games left to be played.

The Thunder’s next set of action will come on Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets, who will be without Kevin Durant.

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