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Thunder @ Chicago Bulls preview (Game 63 of 82)

Posted on March 3, 2026 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (47-15, 1st in the West) @ Chicago Bulls (25-36, 12th in the East)
When: Tuesday, 03 March 2026 at 7:00pm CST
Where: United Center in Chicago, IL
TV: FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: CHI: 112.6 (24th) / OKC: 117.2 (6th)
Defensive Rating: CHI: 117.0 (25th) / OKC: 106.1 (1st)
Net Rating: CHI: -4.4 (24th) / OKC: 11.1 (1st)
Current Streaks: CHI: Winner of 1, loser of 11 straight prior to that / OKC: Winners of 2 straight, 5-1 since the All-Star break

The Tip-Off

Funny how you get an MVP back in the line-up and all the struggles from the previous 3 weeks are forgotten. When healthy, the Thunder are still the team to beat in the NBA. While this season has been mired by the “potholes in the road” by injuries, they are still arguably the best team in the NBA, by a significant margin. Friday night showed that. Denver gave it their best shot with Nikola Jokic having a monster triple-double and Jamal Murray pitching in 39 points. And yet, even with a chance to win it in overtime with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sitting, the Nuggets looked like they were the team that was suffering from the altitude in OKC. SGA’s time off the floor may have unlocked different aspects of the team that could yield positive returns come playoff time. Isaiah Joe, Jared McCain, and Cason Wallace each were significant contributors to the Thunder beating the Nuggets in OT.

This is the first of two meetings this season between the Thunder and Bulls. OKC has now won 6 straight games against Chicago, dating back to the 2022-23 season, with an average margin of victory of 16.5 points.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -10.5
O/U: 229.5

Injury Report

OKC

Branden Carlson – OUT (back)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – OUT (abdominal strain / injury management)
Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf strain / injury management)
Ajay Mitchell – OUT (abdominal strain / ankle)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Jalen Williams – OUT (hamstring)

CHI

Zach Collins – OFS (toe)
Noa Essengue – OFS (shoulder)
Jaden Ivey – OUT (knee)
Anfernee Simons – OUT (wrist)
Jalen Smith – OUT (calf)
Patrick Williams – OUT (quad)

Three Big Things

Defending a Hodge-podge – The Bulls currently are just a cobbled up gaggle of undersized point guards, Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, and non-center centers. The unusualness of their current line-ups is where they can trip opponents up. The Thunder are made to defend the line-ups of today’s basketball. But if there is no Jokic, Doncic, or Ant Edwards to hyperfocus on, this team’s defense can sometimes be left scrambling, especially against guard heavy line-ups (see Charlotte and Utah).
Josh Giddey revenge game? – We just saw Ousmane Dieng have one of the best games of his career in his return to OKC right before the All-Star break. There were, of course, plenty of variables at play that could have contributed to such a performance, such as not having any play-makers available and the team having a “1-2-3 Cancun!” mentality after a roller-coaster first half of the season. But coming into tonight, there are similar variables at play: No play-makers available to them and the team possibly looking forward to the game on Wednesday in New York. There is trap game potential in this game and it could be spearheaded by Giddey.
Cason Wallace – With SGA, Mitchell, and Dub being out for tonight, the team will likely look to Cason to be their de-facto play-maker. And he’s been great since the All-Star break, averaging 6.5 assists per game, while boasting a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio. In that same span, he’s also averaging 15.3 points on 45/50/90 shooting splits.

Charlotte Hornets vs. Thunder preview (Game 37 of 82)

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Alex Roig

Charlotte Hornets (12-23, 12th in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6, 1st in the West)
When: Monday, 05 January 2026 at 7:00pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
TV: FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: CHA: 115.3 (12th) / OKC: 118.8 (5th)
Defensive Rating: CHA: 117.8 (26th) / OKC: 104.4 (1st)
Net Rating: CHA: -2.5 (21st) / OKC: 14.4 (1st)
Current Streaks: CHA: 3-3 in their last 6 / OKC: 4-1 in their last 5

The Set-Up

The Oklahoma City Thunder have reached the point where the regular season doesn’t mean as much to them as it does to other teams. If anything, the regular season can actually be a deterrent to postseason success with the possibility of injuries and fatigue. Over the course of the last four weeks, the Thunder have played in four back to backs and have been involved in three “3 games in 4 nights” over that same timespan. Injuries to key rotation pieces have depleted their depth and OKC has actually looked a little uninspired during this timespan. This is a tired bunch, and the schedule doesn’t ease up until after February 4th, when they have multiple days off between games. It’ll be a grind until April, but this is a resilient bunch. They will do what they need to do to secure the top seed heading into the playoffs.

This is the 2nd and final meeting of the season between the Thunder and Hornets. OKC won the first meeting in Charlotte, 109-96, in a game that was a lot closer than the final score would suggest. Oklahoma City only led by 3 at halftime and needed one of their vintage defensive 3rd quarters to give them the separation they needed to coast in the 4th quarter. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 33 points and 7 assists and Chet Holmgren chipped in with 25 points and 8 rebounds.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -15.5
O/U: 234.5

Injury Report

OKC

Brooks Barnhizer – Day to Day (ankle)
Alex Caruso – OUT (back)
Ousmane Dieng – OUT (calf)
Isaiah Hartenstein – OUT (calf)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)
Nikola Topic – OUT (cancer treatment)
Jaylin Williams – OUT (heel)

CHA

Moussa Diabate – Probable (wrist)
Kon Knueppel – Probable (hip)
Ryan Kalkbrenner – OUT (elbow)
Brandon Miller – Probable (knee)
Mason Plumlee – OUT (groin)
Tidjane Salaun – Questionable (ankle)
Grant Williams – OUT (knee)

Three Big Things

3-point shooting – This goes for both defending the 3-point line and making 3-pointers. In their last 11 games, the Thunder have shot 29.6% from 3 in their losses and 37.2% from 3 in their wins. That’s an almost 8% difference. Bring that 29.6% up to about 35%, and some of those losses flip to wins. It’s definitely a make or miss league, even for the defending champs. On the other end of that spectrum, the Thunder have been on the bad side of some hot shooting nights by their opponents. And Charlotte is definitely a team that has candidates that can heat up from beyond the arc. Guys like LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges all average over 2.4 threes made per game and have that “get hot” ability.
Kon Knueppel – The likely Rookie of the Year gets his second crack at the Thunder. He’s had only four single-digit scoring nights as a pro, and OKC caused one of them, forcing Knueppel to shoot 3/10 from the field to go along with 5 turnovers. Everyone one of the those four single-digit scoring games were losses, so it would behoove the Thunder to make Kon’s night a nightmare.
Jalen Williams – Last night against the Suns was one of the better games Dub has put together, from start to finish, since coming back . He scored 23 on 9/13 shooting from the field, had four rebounds, seven assists, and hit a game-tying driving middy with 8 seconds left in the game. For the first time this season, it felt like Fourth Quarter Dub had entered the building.

Jalen Williams sheds the wrist brace

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Alex Roig

As shown on Jalen Williams’ Instagram page, the brace that once covered his right wrist is now no longer present. The surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament was performed on July 1st, 2025. At the time, the expected re-evaluation period for such a surgery was at least 12 weeks. As of today, we are at 11 weeks, post-surgery. At the time, Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti stated that he expected Williams to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 NBA regular season.

Williams tore the ligament on April 9th, 2025, in a game against the Phoenix Suns. He went on to miss the last two games of the regular season, but played in all the postseason games, as the Thunder made their run to win the championship. As documented in Williams’ post-surgery vlog, he received lidocaine injections in his wrist before each game and before some practices. He also took multiple cortisone shots and developed injection-site callouses in his wrist. He said that during the playoff run, he had to relearn how to shoot, using more of a finger-tip guided shot, instead of his usual wrist-guided shot.

The Thunder start training camp in a couple of weeks and play their first preseason game on October 5th, 2025 against the Charlotte Hornets. Their championship title defense begins on October 21st, 2025 against the Houston Rockets.

Charlotte Hornets vs. Thunder preview (Game 49 of 82)

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Alex Roig

Charlotte Hornets (10-36, 13th in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (33-15, 2nd in the West)
When: Friday, 02 February 2024 at 7:00pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Offensive Rating – CHA: 109.6 (27th) / OKC: 119.0 (6th)
Defensive Rating – CHA: 121.4 (30th) / OKC: 111.2 (4th)
Net Rating – CHA: -11.8 (30th) / OKC: 7.8 (2nd)

The Set-Up

Consistency. Getting things done in a manner that become almost habitual. When it comes to winning basketball teams, consistency usually takes the form of performance over a certain amount of time. We always hear things like “This team is 8-2 over their last 10 games”. But to remain consistent over an entire 82-game season is not just the mark of a good team. It’s usually the mark of an elite team. Also a lucky one, at that.

There are only four teams in the league that have yet to have suffered a 3-game losing streak on the season. And those four teams consist of the top two teams in each conference. We’re almost 50 games into the season. That’s not an anomaly…that’s the trend for these four teams. Even through a hellish schedule, the Thunder have remained as consistent as possible in keeping pace in the West. With a little bit of rest in the horizon, the Thunder are in prime position to make a push heading into the playoffs.

This is the first meeting of the season between these two teams. They meet again on April 7th in Charlotte.

Betting Info

Line: OKC -16.5
O/U: 225.5

Injury Report

OKC

Isaiah Joe (sternal contusion) – OUT
Jalen Williams (ankle) – OUT

CHA

LaMelo Ball (ankle) – Doubtful

Three Big Things

Miles Bridges and PJ Washington – For some reason, these two players terrify me (and it’s not just because Bridges can get a little physical, if you know what I mean (I’ll be here all week)). Tweeners that can masquerade as small ball 5’s give the Thunder fits. And it always seems like these two players choose their games against Oklahoma City to turn into big-bodied Stephen Currys. If LaMelo Ball is out, I know these will be the only options for the Hornets and the Thunder’s defense will be keyed in. But still….
Run ‘Em and Attack the Paint – By most metrics, Charlotte is the worst defensive team in the league. They are a bottom-10 team in allowing the most points off turnovers, the most 2nd-chance points, and the most points in the paint. Surprisingly, for being such a young team, they are 22nd in pace. They are bottom-10 in turnover percentage. They are bottom-3 in true shooting percentage. Simply put, they are a bad team.
Just take care of business – Simple as that.

Thunder vs. Hornets Preview (Summer League Game 1)

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Alex Roig

When: Friday, 06 July 2018 at 4:30 pm CST
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV
TV: ESPNU

Every time summer league approaches, I get giddy with anticipation. I know it usually won’t amount to anything in the future, but it’s always fun to see a random Robert Vader or a Ryan Reid “career” game in summer league. It’s great to see a second year player like Reggie Jackson go off in the second half of a summer league game while the team’s last 21 points and bringing the team back to victory. Continue reading →

NTTB Podcast (Episode 24) – Flawless Victory

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Alex Roig

On Episode 24 of the NTTB podcast,we discuss the following topics:

Weekly Recap – Wins against Charlotte, Sacramento, and Lakers
The Thunder commit a massacre in Cleveland
LeBron’s future….in OKC?
Paul George’s shoes
All-Star Voting results
NBA Fight Week
Hornets Fire Sale

Intro/Outro music provided by OSC Productions

Thank you for listening. We will be doing a podcast once a week. If you have any Thunder or NBA related questions, make sure you hit us up on Twitter (@alexroig_NTTB or @Montero_A13).

We are on ITunes under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!

NTTB Podcast (Episode 21) – Talking Thunder and Marvel

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Alex Roig

On Episode 21 of the NTTB podcast,we discuss the following topics:

Looking back at the 4 games from this past week: vs. Charlotte, @Indy, @Philly, @NY
Looking back at how the Thunder Big 4 did (Russ, PG, Melo, and Adams)
The Good, Bad, and Ugly from this past week
The Thunder’s City jerseys
NBA News
And a surprising 40 minute conversation on Disney/Marvel’s purchase of Fox

Intro/Outro music provided by OSC Productions

Thank you for listening. We will be doing a podcast once a week. If you have any Thunder or NBA related questions, make sure you hit us up on Twitter (@alexroig_NTTB or @Montero_A13).

We are on ITunes under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!

Orlando Summer League: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Orlando Magic Blue Team preview (Game 2 of 5)

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Alex Roig

When: Monday, 06 July 2015 at 2:00 PM CST
Where: Orlando Magic practice facility, Orlando, FL

Summer league games are, in essence, exercises in hope. If you’ve watched summer league long enough, you know 80-90% of the guys on the court won’t ever make it to the NBA. If your name was not called in the first round, your chances of making it to the bigs drop significantly. With all that said, though, we still watch. If you are a true fan, you become familiar with all the players on the roster and even start to pick up little tidbits about them. A week later, unfortunately, all that knowledge gets cycled into the memory dump of our brains, and most of those players become but a distant memory. But as you watch the games, you start to notice things about players that may actually help your NBA roster.

After one game, the Oklahoma City Thunder sit at 1-0, having defeated the Charlotte Hornets 76-74. Lacking a dearth of NBA experience, the Thunder summer league roster depended on defense for key stretches in the game and on their back-court duo of Semaj Christon and Frank Gaines, who combined for 31 points. Christon notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists, while also hitting the deciding basket on a drive on the Thunder’s final possession. Mitch McGary and Dakari Johnson cleaned up well around the basket, each grabbing double digit rebound totals (24 rebounds total between the two). The spark off the bench came from Travis Bader who came into the game in the 2nd quarter, and quickly racked up 10 points on 2 3-point shots, a mid-range jumper, and 2 free throws. Defensively, McGary struggled a bit with Hornets’ rookie Frank Kaminsky, losing him several times on the pick and roll. Kaminsky finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Hornets, but did not score in the 4th quarter.

The Opponent

Orlando brings two teams into their summer league. Their White team is made up mostly of guys that will likely spend most of their time next season in the Developmental League and overseas. The Blue team on the other hand, is made up of all the first and second year players that will likely see significant minutes in the NBA this season. This is an extremely smart move by the Magic who would like to see their young guys play together to develop a rhythm, instead of having them mixed with players who, honestly, likely will never sniff an NBA court. The Blue team won its first game against the Los Angeles Clippers, 75-74, in overtime. The Blue team is led by point guard Elfrid Payton, who was first team All-Rookie last season. Joining him on the wing are Magic first round pick Mario Hezonja and second year player Devyn Marble. Hezonja hit the deciding 3-point shot in overtime in the Blue team’s first summer league game. Up front, Aaron Gordon and Brandon Davies all have NBA experience. Off the bench, the Magic (Blue team) will likely use their 2nd round pick Tyler Harvey as an offensive spark plug.

Three Keys in the Game

1. Experience – The bulk of the minutes doled out to players on the Magic team will be to those players with NBA experience. While the Thunder don’t have the same amount of NBA experience, they do have a team that is quite familiar with itself as most of the Thunder’s roster is composed of players who were on the Thunder development team, the Blue.

2. Summer league superstar match-ups – While there aren’t necessarily any superstars in summer league, there are some interesting match-ups in this game. Aaron Gordon and Mitch McGary will likely match up a lot in this game. Both are athletic forwards that have a year’s worth of NBA experience under their belt. The other interesting match-up will be Elfrid Payton against Semaj Christon. The Thunder love Christon’s game and this will be a good barometer as to how ready he is to play in the NBA.

3. Mario Hezonja – Aside from the Thunder players, I’m most excited to see Super Mario. He was okay in his first game, but when the spotlight shined the brightest in the closing seconds of overtime, he hit the dagger three. This guy is far from a finished product, but his confidence and swagger make him a must-watch in summer league action.

2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Southeast Divison

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Alex Roig

Southeast Division Preview

1. Washington Wizards

Last season: 44-38 (2nd in the Southeast Division, 5th in the Eastern Conference)

Season ended: Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Indiana Pacers

Key Additions:

DeJuan Blair – Sign and trade from the Dallas Mavericks
Kris Humphries – Sign and trade from the Boston Celtics
Paul Pierce – Free agent signing

Key Departures:

Trevor Ariza – Signed with the Houston Rockets
Trevor Booker – Signed with the Utah Jazz

Season Preview – The young players for the Wizards finally started coming into their own last season. John Wall became an All-Star for the first time, and Bradley Beal showed signs of being one of the best 2-guards in the league. In addition, the acquisitions of Nene and Marcin Gortat have given this team an inside/outside balance that is one of the better ones in the league. The loss of Trevor Ariza may show itself more on the defensive end, but Pierce should be an adequate stop-gap as the Wizards wait on the development of Otto Porter. The only trip up I see with this team is perimeter depth. If Wall or Beal go down for any extended amount of time, this team could be in trouble.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Wizards make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Projected 2014-15 Record: 49-33

2. Charlotte Hornets

Last season: 43-39 (3rd in the Southeast Division, 7th in the Eastern Conference)

Season ended: Game 4 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Miami Heat.

Key Additions:

P.J. Hairston – Draft (No. 26 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Brian Roberts – Free agent signing
Lance Stephenson – Free agent signing
Noah Vonleh – Draft (No. 9 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Marvin Williams – Free agent signing

Key Departures:

Luke Ridnour – Signed with the Orlando Magic
Josh McRoberts – Signed with the Miami Heat
Anthony Tolliver – Signed with the Phoenix Suns
Brendan Haywood – Traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers
Chris Douglas-Roberts – Signed with the Los Angeles Clippers

Season Preview – The Hornets (formerly the Bobcats) come into this season with as high of expectations as they’ve ever had in their 10 year reincarnation. Michael Jordan and GM Rich Cho have slowly put together a balanced team that is built on defense. The key now will be developing the young talent they’ve obtained over the past 2 seasons, while also learning how to consistently win. Al Jefferson provides the Hornets with a go-to scorer, while Stephenson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be nightmares on the defensive end for opposing wings. If the Hornets can find consistent scoring from the perimeter, they may be a surprise team in the East.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Hornets make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Projected 2014-15 Record: 47-35

3. Miami Heat

Last season: 54-28 (1st in the Southeast Division, 2nd in the Eastern Conference)

Season ended: Game 5 loss in the 2014 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs

Key Additions:

Luol Deng – Free agent signing
Danny Granger – Free agent signing
Josh McRoberts – Free agent signing
Shabazz Napier – Draft (No. 24 in the 2014 NBA Draft)

Key Departures:

LeBron James – Signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers
James Jones – Signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers
Ray Allen – Unsigned
Shane Battier – Retired
Rashard Lewis – Signed with the Dallas Mavericks
Toney Douglas – Signed overseas
Michael Beasley – unsigned

Season preview – It was a good run, boys. The four year “Big 3” experiment yielded four consecutive trips to the Finals and two championships. “Not 1, not 2…” wait, yeah, only 2. LeBron James returning back to Cleveland has brought the Heat back down a notch or two on the NBA spectrum. While Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are still in tow, the engine that made the team run is no longer there. The team that we’ve seen for the past four years will be completely different. No longer will the threat of a driving James cause defenses to collapse into the paint, leaving a plethora of wide open shooters. Instead, Miami will likely run its offense inside/out through Bosh. Gone are the shooters that provided that floor spacing for James and Wade to operate. And the lingering concern over Wade’s health still remains. The Heat will still win games, but there will be a significant drop-off from the previous four seasons.

2014-15 will successful if: The Heat make it to the Eastern Conference Finals

Projected 2014-15 Record: 44-38

4. Atlanta Hawks

Last season: 38-44 (4th in the Southeast Division, 8th in the Eastern Conference)

Season ended: Game 7 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Indiana Pacers

Key Additions:

Kent Bazemore – Free agent signing
Adreian Payne – Draft (No. 15 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Thabo Sefolosha – Free agent signing

Key Departures:

Lou Williams – Traded to the Toronto Raptors
Elton Brand – Unsigned
Gustavo Ayon – Signed overseas
Lucas Nogueira – Traded to the Toronto Raptors

Season preview – If there is a team in the league that wants the season to start already, it is the Atlanta Hawks. The offseason can be a cruel time for a team that is embroiled in controversy. The Bruce Levenson/Danny Ferry race fiasco is a situation that probably won’t be completely resolved until next season. On the court, Atlanta is one of those teams that’s always good enough to win more games than it should, but loses out on getting a good draft pick because of that. Al Horford returns after missing most of last season with a torn right pectoral muscle. Their front line of Horford, Pero Antic, and Paul Millsap will be one of the more dynamic front courts in the league. The addition of Sefolosha will help shore up the perimeter defensively, but will provide little from an offensive standpoint.

2014-15 will be successful if: The Hawks make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs.

Projected 2014-15 Record: 40-42

5. Orlando Magic

Last season: 23-59 (5th in the Southeast Division, 13th in the Eastern Conference)

Season ended: Last day of the regular season

Key Additions:

Evan Fournier – Obtained in a trade with the Denver Nuggets
Channing Frye – Free agent signing
Aaron Gordon – Draft (No. 4 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Ben Gordon – Free agent signing
Willie Green – Claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Clippers
Elfrid Payton – Draft (No. 10 in the 2014 NBA Draft)
Luke Ridnour – Free agent signing

Key Departures:

Jameer Nelson – Signed with the Dallas Mavericks
Arron Afflalo – Traded to the Denver Nuggets

Season preview – The Magic are at the point in their rebuild where they need to decide on what to do with some of their young guys. Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris will be coming up on restricted free agency next offseason, with Andrew Nicholson, Maurice Harkless, and Fournier coming up with offseason after that. The Magic will probably be a big player at the trade deadline as they need to start moving some of their young pieces for either a big name player or assets. On the court, the Magic will continue to be an uptempo transition team, especially with Payton manning the point. Victor Oladipo will need to show improvement on his jump-shot, but Ben Gordon and Frye will provide some of the spacing Oladipo needs to operate. I see the Magic slightly improving, but still struggling to consistently win.

2014-15 will be successful if: The young guys continue to develop and the Magic end up with a Top 7 pick.

Projected 2014-15 Record: 26-56