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Chicago Bulls vs. Thunder preview (Game 74 of 82)

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Alex Roig

Chicago Bulls (29-43, 12th in the East) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (57-16, 1st in the West)
When: Friday, 27 March 2026 at 7:00pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
TV: NBATV / FDSN-OK
Offensive Rating: CHI: 112.6 (24th) / OKC: 117.1 (8th)
Defensive Rating: CHI: 117.1 (23rd) / OKC: 106.2 (1st)
Net Rating: CHI: -4.5 (23rd) / OKC: 10.8 (1st)
Current Streaks: CHI: 3-5 in their last 8 games / OKC: Lost their last game, winners of 12 of their last 13
OKC Magic Number Count – 8, to clinch the #1 seed throughout the playoffs

The Tip-Off

Here lately, it has felt like the Thunder are playing every game on Friday the 13th and the San Antonio Spurs are Jason Voorhees. And no matter how fast the Thunder run, the Spurs are right there continually nipping at their heels. (Cha-cha-cha) Win 12 in a row…the Spurs go 11-1 in that same stretch. Look at the strength of schedule for their remaining games, and the 2 game lead the Thunder hold over the Spurs constantly feels like its only a step away. But is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. The Thunder weren’t really tested last season until the 2nd round of the playoffs, which may have played a part in their inexperience during certain situations in the playoffs. Having to be battle-tested in the regular season could show it’s worth in the playoffs this season. While the Thunder did eventually win the title, there are some players on the roster this season that didn’t necessarily play a big part in the rotation last year (namely Ajay Mitchell and Jared McCain). In addition, it also puts the onus on the Spurs to have to continue playing all the way through the end of the season, which limits their ability to rest their players.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between the Thunder and Bulls. OKC won the first meeting, 116-108, in a game that saw five Thunder players score at least 17 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was out for that game and the leading scorer for OKC was Jared McCain off the bench with 20 points.

Betting Info, presented by FanDuel

Line: OKC -18.5
O/U: 238.5

Injury Report

OKC

Brooks Barnhizer – OUT (personal)
Chet Holmgren – OUT (hip contusion)
Thomas Sorber – OFS (knee/ACL)

CHI

Zach Collins – OFS (toe)
Rob Dillingham – Probable (knee)
Noa Essengue – OFS (shoulder)
Jaden Ivey – OFS (knee)
Yuki Kawamura – Day to Day (quad)
Isaac Okoro – Probable (knee)
Nick Richards – Questionable (elbow)
Anfernee Simons – OUT (wrist)
Jalen Smith – OFS (calf)
Guerschon Yabusele – Questionable (ankle)

Three Big Things

Take Care of Business – The Thunder are at home after a long road trip and playing a team that has no business competing with them. In addition, they are the healthiest they’ve been all year. With the Spurs nipping at their heels, there should be no reason why the Thunder don’t do the necessary things to put this team away quickly and early in the game.
Perimeter Defense – The Chicago Bulls score 37.7% of their points from the 3-point line. That’s 6th best in the league. They were just scorched by the #3 team in that statistical category in their last game against Boston. While the Thunder’s defensive philosophy has worked for the most part of the past couple of seasons, there are still nights where their inside-out principle works against them. It would behoove the Thunder to not let ball-handlers into the lane and to run out to the 3-point shooters for Chicago.
Downhill Scoring – The Bulls rank 4th worst in the league in paint defense, allowing 53.4 points per game. With Zach Collins and Jalen Smith out for the season and Nick Richards questionable, it would behoove the Thunder to constantly attack the paint and run their offense through their paint touches tonight.

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.

Detroit Pistons vs. Thunder preview (Game 76 of 82)

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Alex Roig

Detroit Pistons (42-33) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (63-12)
When: Wednesday, 02 April 2025 at 8:30pm CSTS
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Offensive Rating – DET: 114.6 (12th) / OKC: 119.2 (3rd)
Defensive Rating – DET: 112.0 (10th) / OKC: 106.0 (1st)
Net Rating – DET: 2.6 (11th) / OKC: 13.2 (1st)

The Set-Up
Greatness. It’s a combination of many variables that allows a team to be called great. The Oklahoma City Thunder had a previous iteration that many people considered great. The Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka teams may have been great, talent-wise, but did they lack that greatness mindset that other teams may have possessed. Think about the Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson Warriors. Great team, but a greatness mindset to match. The Jordan, Pippen, Rodman Bulls. Same thing. I think this is where we stand with this current iteration of the Thunder. A great team with a mindset to match.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The Thunder won the first meeting in Detroit, 113-107. It has been one of the more tighter games for the Thunder after the All-Star Break.

Betting Info

Line: OKC -13.5
O/U: 232.5

Injury Report

OKC
Alex Caruso – Questionable (ankle)
Ousmane Dieng – OUT (calf)
Alex Ducas – OUT (quad)
Ajay Mitchell – OUT (toe)
Nikola Topic – OUT (knee)
Aaron Wiggins – OUT (Achilles)

DET
Cade Cunningham – OUT (calf)
Tobias Harris – Questionable (Achilles)
Ron Holland II – OUT (suspension)
Jaden Ivey – OUT (leg)
Marcus Sasser – OUT (suspension)
Isaiah Stewart – OUT (suspension)

Three Big Things

1. Take Care of Business – The Pistons are likely going to be missing key pieces of their rotation in this game. Isaiah Stewart and Ron Holland II are out after their suspensions from the fracas against the Timberwolves a couple of nights ago. Cade Cunningham is likely out due to a calf issue. If the Thunder play their game, this baby may be over by halftime.

2. Rebounding – Probably about the only statistic where the Pistons have a leg up on the Thunder is rebounding. But that’s with a full roster. With Cunningham and Stewart out, the responsibility of manning the boards may fall solely on Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris, who is coming back from injury. The Pistons may not have the personnel to exhibit dominance in this area tonight.

3. J-Dub, All-NBA? – With this game, Jalen Williams officially reaches 65 games played for the season. He’s already seen his first All-Star game appearance this season. Is he now in line for a spot on one of the three All-NBA teams? It’ll be close and he may literally be the first guy outside of the 15 players on the All-NBA teams. But his play on both ends of the floor may be the determining factor that gets him on one of the All-NBA teams. His versatility on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor may get him the nod over someone who may only play one end of the floor.

Chicago Bulls vs. Thunder preview (Game 75 of 82)

Posted on March 31, 2025 by Alex Roig

Chicago Bulls (33-41) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (62-12)
When: Monday, 31 March 2025 at 7:00pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Offensive Rating – CHI: 113.0 (20th) / OKC: 119.1 (4th)
Defensive Rating – CHI: 115.3 (24th) / OKC: 106.1 (1st)
Net Rating – CHI: -2.4 (21st) / OKC: 13.0 (1st)

The Set-Up

Ahhh, yes. The Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso trade. Slightly vilified on Chicago’s end early on, but slowly creeping towards being a win/win trade for both teams. After a rough start to the season, Giddey is close to averaging 20/9/8 over the past 2 months. On the flip side of things, Caruso also started off slowly, but is starting to show how valuable he can be for this team as a 3&D player and big time glue guy. Much to the chagrin of basketball Twitter, there are actually trades where it’s a win/win for both teams. Chicago got themselves a point guard to build off of in what is looking like a new rebuild. And OKC got themselves another rotation piece to put around to put around their core three of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. OKC is having a historic season, while Chicago is becoming one of the most exciting young teams in the league. Win/Win! Giddey wasn’t going to work in OKC. He and SGA need the ball in their hands and SGA is the better player. It wasn’t Josh’s fault that he was slotted next to an eventual MVP. But in Chicago, he is able to play his brand of basketball and has flourished. I, for one, am happy for him and hope that he continues his great run of late…just not tonight.

This is the second and final meeting of the season between these two teams. The first meeting took place way early in the season, with OKC coming out victorious, 114-95.

Betting Info

Line: OKC -15.5
O/U: 238.5

Injury Report

OKC

Ousmane Dieng – OUT (calf)
Alex Ducas – OUT (quad)
Isaiah Hartenstein – Questionable (hip)
Chet Holmgren – Questionable (hip)
Ajay Mitchell – OUT (toe)
Nikola Topic – OUT (knee)
Aaron Wiggins – OUT (Achilles)
Jaylin Williams – Questionable (hip)

CHI
Lonzo Ball – OUT (wrist)
Ayo Dosunmu – OUT (shoulder)
Kevin Huerter – OUT (thumb)
Tre Jones – OUT (foot)
EJ Liddell – OUT (illness)

Three Big Things

1. Since the All-Star Break – While the Thunder have been completely dominant post-ASB, the Chicago Bulls have done a good job of handing the keys off to their players of the future and allowing them to see how they fare against the rest of the league. Giddey, Coby White, and Matas Buzelis have acclimated themselves well to their expanded roles on the team during that time and have allowed for a rosier picture to be painted for a franchise that has been mired in mediocrity for the better part of the past decade. Since the ASB, the Bulls are 11-8 and are 13th in offensive rating, 9th in defensive rating, and 10th in net rating. They are first in pace during that time, 4th in assist/turnover ratio, and 5th in defensive rebound percentage. Over the course of the season, the Bulls have changed the way they play and found a bit of a groove.

2. Pace – As mentioned above, the Bulls lead the league in pace since the All-Star break. Giddey has done a great job of late in grabbing and going, while spraying the ball out to play finishers like Buzelis, White, and Nikola Vucevic. The Thunder are usually the team that likes to run, but this may be a game where they let their halfcourt offense shine. Chicago has done a good job of protecting the ball over this past month and a half, so turnovers may not be in abundant supply in this game.

3. Big Health – With all three centers being game-time decisions today, the matchup against Vucevic may be an interesting one. I doubt all three bigs sit, but if the Thunder are prioritizing health for the playoffs, then Kenrich Williams and Branden Carlson may be the next men up.

Let It Rip: Why you’re probably overreacting about Shai’s 3 ball

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Dylan Huntzinger

We have been blessed as a fanbase to see a superstar blossom right in front of our eyes in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The centerpiece of the Paul George trade, we have watched him go from bench guy, 3rd option, to running the show. And run it, he has.

Over the last four seasons, Shai has led the league in drives per game in three of those four seasons. Shai has boasted the efficiency of a wing player, shooting over 50% from the field and averaging about six free throw attempts per game.

Because of this, the fanbase, and the NBA at large, have associated Shai’s game to three things: driving to the basket, shooting the mid range jumper, and getting to the free throw line.

And he’s been pretty good at it. Averaging over 30 points per game in each of the past two seasons, Shai is widely considered one of the top 5 player in the world and is on the shortlist for MVP for everyone who has a pulse.

So, going into his 7th season, fresh off back to back All-Star appearances, being named a starter in the All-Star game, and being a back to back 1st Team All-NBA recipient, many people think Shai should just stick with what got him there, and leave well enough alone.

But that’s not Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

He summed this up in 2021, with a banger of a quote.

“I’m not playing this game just to be a good basketball player. I want to be one of the greatest to ever play.”

He is always adding to his game. Whether it was the stepback, catch and shoot 3, off ball defense, playmaking, etc., Shai has gone into the lab every offseason, and every offseason he comes out acting different.

I imagine him stepping into a lab (for some reason this one I’m picturing in my head has automatic sliding doors) normal Shai, but after some time, when he emerges from the sliding doors, smoke billows out of the room with a green haze in the background, and somewhere, somehow, an organ is playing and angels are singing. Anyways, back to the point.

Is it awesome that he is a top 5 player in the world right now? Absolutely. Would it be easy to just continue what he’s doing now? Absolutely. Could he have similar success doing exactly what he has done the past couple of seasons? Absolutely. (Topic: Thunder listeners have drank themselves into a coma with all the absolutely) BUT, Shai doesn’t want what he already has, Shai isn’t ok with the status quo, Shai doesn’t want to just go through the motions and be remembered as just another good player.

He’s on some Ash Ketchum energy. This dude wants to be the very best, like NO ONE ever was.

So yes, he will continue to add to his game, and we have the fruits of those seeds he planted the offseason (IN THE LAB).

He looks engaged and disruptive when he is playing on ball defense.

His playmaking reads are sharper than ever, and he’s making passes we have never seen him make. Live dribble skip passes from one end of the court to the other, one hand dump offs to a cutter, hitting the roller in stride, hitting the shooters in their pockets; consistently.

But one addition to his game that has been met with uproar and outrage by a large (and troubling) portion of the Thunder fan community, is his increased 3 point shooting volume.

First off, it fits Sam Presti’s ethos to a T. Exploration, and experimentation are the reason you see the roster you see today for the Thunder. Presti has tried things, failed at things, and succeeded at things. All in all, he collected data, learned from his mistakes, enforced his correct decisions, and now we have a juggernaut in Oklahoma City.

It’s not different with Shai. Yes, that dude is and has been unguardable, but if he learns how to shoot high volume, off dribble, pull up 3-pointers, he will become unstoppable.

It adds a new weapon to your offense that opponents have to account for. They can’t build a wall in the paint and dare Shai to shoot middy’s over it. Shai can force them to play him close, and then it’s curtains. Play him to close, he’s blowing by you. Sag off on him just enough, and he’s comfortable and confident to pull that 3 in your eye; without having to first simulate the drive and get to his stepback.

That’s the why he should do this, (which I feel should be fairly obvious?), let’s get into the why now.

It’s simple. We are 4 games into the regular season.

Continue reading →

Thunder @ Minnesota Timberwolves preview (Game 17 of 82 / In-Season Tournament Game #4)

Posted on November 28, 2023 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (11-5, 2nd in the West) @ Minnesota Timberwolves (12-4, 1st in the West)
When – Tuesday, 28 November 2023 at 7:00pm CST
Where – Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Offensive Rating – MIN: 113.2 (13th) / OKC: 117.9 (6th)
Defensive Rating – MIN: 106.8 (2nd) / OKC: 109.6 (7th)
Net Rating – MIN: 6.4 (4th) / OKC: 8.3 (3rd)

The Set-Up

If you are writing a story about the come-up of a great young team, you always have to have the protagonist. The rival the team has to overcome to make it to the top of that mountain. For the Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls, it was the Detroit Pistons. For the Kobe/Shaq Lakers, it was the Sacramento Kings. For the Curry Warriors, it was Mark Jackson. For this iteration of the Thunder, we still don’t know who that team is. It could be the Orlando Magic. The San Antonio Spurs. Maybe the Houston Rockets.

Or it could be the team that we’ve already faced in a non-regular season scenario. These two teams faced off in the 2nd round game of the Play-In Tournament last season, with Minnesota out-dueling the Thunder on their way to a 120-95 victory. The Wolves were very physical and bested the Thunder in points in the paint, 58-30. The frontcourt tandem of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns combined to score 49 points and grab 19 rebounds, while shooting 19 free throws.

Season Series – This is the first meeting this season between these division rivals.

Injury Report

OKC

None

MIN

Jaylen Clark (Achilles) – Out
Jaden McDaniels (ankle) – Out
Jordan McLaughlin (knee) – Out

Three Big Things

High stakes – Okay, so these may not be huge stakes. No one really cares about who’s number one in their conference 17 games into an 82-game season. I get it. But, man, would it feel good to be conference king for a day. If nothing else, a win gives you a leg up on a division/conference rival for future playoff seeding and knocks Minnesota out of the In-Season Tournament.
Big rotation – It’ll be interesting to see how head coach Mark Daigneault handles the big rotation tonight. We saw in the Philly game his willingness to play two bigs in Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams. What could be most interesting is the Naz Reid vs. Kenrich Williams match-up that I think we’ll see some tonight.
Shooting – I’ve got a secret for you guys. The Thunder, now hear me out, tend to do better when their 3-point shot is falling. I know, I know. Shocking! All kidding aside, the Thunder have turned into the quintessential modern NBA team. Most of their shots come from the 3-point line and in the paint. Only 7.6% of their points come from the mid-range. And while the Thunder do lead the league in 3-point percentage, when that shot isn’t falling, the offense can get very clunky. Players like Lu Dort and Cason Wallace, who started the season off hot, have now regressed to where they likely will be for the rest of the season. And if Isaiah Joe isn’t completely flame-throwing from deep, the offense looks even worse.

Chicago Bulls vs. Thunder preview (Game 15 of 82)

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Alex Roig

Chicago Bulls (5-10) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (11-4)
When: Wednesday, 22 November 2023 at 7:00pm CST
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Offensive Rating – CHI: 108.5 (27th) / OKC: 116.9 (8th)
Defensive Rating – CHI: 113.0 (16th) / OKC: 108.4 (4th)
Net Rating – CHI: -4.5 (23rd) / OKC: 8.5 (2nd)

The Set-Up

Breaks can act like momentum killers during an 82-game season. Over the past five games (since November 12th), the Thunder have been 4th in Offensive Rating, 1st in Defensive Rating, 1st in Net Rating, 2nd in Field Goal percentage, 3rd in points, 1st in 3-point FG percentage, 1st in steals and 1st in plus/minus. During that time, they had nothing more than a day off between games. Momentum can be like muscle memory to athletes. So when there is an unfamiliar amount of time off, it can throw a player’s (or team’s) mojo off.

After playing nearly every other day for the better part of a month, the Thunder now find themselves with some time between games. In the last 8 days, the Thunder played 5 games. It’s going to take them 13 days to play their next 5 games. Five days may not seem like a huge difference to you or I. But to an athlete, having that much time between games can disrupt their timing.

Season Series – OKC leads 1-0, having won 124 – 104 on 25 October 2023

Injury Report

OKC

Jalen Williams (hip) – Out

CHI

Lonzo Ball (knee) – Out
Alex Caruso (toe) – Probable
Zach Lavine (foot) – Probable
Patrick Williams (finger) – Probable

Three Big Things

Chet – It will be interesting to see the duality of how Chet played in his career opener versus how he plays in this game. In that game, Chet scored 11 points on 4-7 shooting, grabbed 4 boards, dished out 3 assists, and got a steal. But all anyone focused on was on the couple of plays where Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond used their strength to score some points against Chet. Fast-forward nearly a month later and Chet looks like an entirely different player. All the nerves have been shed and the player that was the 2nd pick in the 2022 draft is showing why he should’ve likely been drafted No. 1 in that draft.
Take Care of Business – The Bulls just aren’t a very good team. They are inefficient offensively and mid-tier defensively. But when you look at the players on the team, you know that any one of them can go off at any moment. Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan have all had 50 point games in their careers. Vucevic was once one of the premier offensive centers in the league. And guys like Alex Caruso, Jevon Carter, and Coby White can all microwave enough to become big distractions. If the Thunder can focus in and play their game, the result should be similar to the one procured in the first game of the season.
Coach Daigneault – It’s a little jarring how quickly the student has become the master. Chicago coach Billy Donovan did not want to go through a rebuild when he decided not to re-sign with the Thunder after the 2019-20 season. The Thunder signed Daigneault to take over the reins that offseason. While the results have been as expected when it comes to the rebuilding part of the equation, the bearing of fruit has come along much quicker than thought. And a lot of that success is due to the leadership under Daigneault. The Bulls have lost three straight to the Thunder over the past two seasons, including this one.

Thunder @ Chicago Bulls preview (Game 1 of 82)

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Alex Roig

Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0) @ Chicago Bulls (0-0)
When: Wednesday, 25 October 2023 @ 7:00pm CST
Where: United Center, Chicago, IL

Expectations. When this rebuild started three years ago, this is where we wanted to eventually end up. In a place where we look at the betting odds and see our team as the favorite on some night. In a place where teams can no longer rest their superstars when they play against us. In a place where the media outside of Oklahoma City is once again excited for the team that plays in the Paycom Center. We didn’t know how long it would take (Not too long). We didn’t know if it was going to exhaustive (Not really). But we’re finally back to where we were several years ago. Are you ready to have your heart broken? Are you ready for the disappointment? Are you ready to lose years off your life as you live and die with every close game? Are you ready to feel like you’re playing on the floor as the stakes get higher? I know I am. And I can’t wait!

Injury Report

OKC

Jaylin Williams (hamstring)
Kenrich Williams (back spasms)

Chicago

Lonzo Ball (knee)

Three Big Things

Attack the rim – The Chicago Bulls lack a true rim-protector. In the preseason, they were ranked 28th in the league in blocks at 3.6 per game. Conversely, the Thunder were 4th in points in the paint this preseason at 51.6 points per game. Nikola Vucevic and the husk that was formally Andre Drummond struggle not just with keeping up with guards on the perimeter, but also with recovering back to the rim to protect it. Chicago has great perimeter defenders in Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu, and Jevon Carter, but will struggle to keep up with the Thunder’s ball handlers and shot creators.
Monsters of the mid-range – The Chicago Bears were once known as the Monsters of the Midway. The current Bulls squad should be renamed the Monsters of the Mid-range. The Bulls led the league in percentage of points from the mid-range at 11.8%. While most of the league is shooting 3’s and driving into the paint, the Bulls are the old guy at the YMCA that continues to punish you if you neglect to trail him and put a hand up. With that said, the Thunder should feast defensively with this kind of offense. Their length and shot-blocking should make things difficult for the Bulls to operate.
Control the glass – While the Thunder were a bad rebounding team last season, that should change this season with the addition of Chet Holmgren to the line-up. One of the positives for the Bulls this preseason was their offensive rebounding. They lead the league in offensive rebounding this preseason at 15.4 offensive boards per game. One thing to watch on the Thunder’s part: If the Bulls choose to crash the offensive glass, it may open up transition opportunities for the Thunder.

The Week That Was: 23-29 October 2017

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Alex Roig

big 3 This “superteam” was supposed to be 6-0 and on their way to the first 96-0 (82 + 16 playoff games) record in league history. The Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to leading the league in Offensive and Defensive Rating. They were supposed to be winning games by at least a margin of 20+ per game and Dakari Johnson should now have six games worth of experience under his belt.

Instead the Thunder find themselves at only 3-3. Chemistry is still an issue as they attempt to assimilate three alpha-dog scorers into a cohesive system. It is no longer just grab the ball and score, as all three have been used to throughout their careers. Now, it’s run the offense until there’s an open shot and if nothing develops, then revert back to your natural instinct of isolation dominance. All the while, there are two other players out there on the floor that can be involved in the offense also.

It’s going to take some time. We can look back at all the other recent iterations of super teams and see that there were adjustment periods for all of them. Some of those teams adjusted quickly, like the Warriors of last year and the Celtics of 2007-08. Others took at least a season to find themselves, like the 2010-11 Miami Heat. But they all eventually found success. Continue reading →

Chicago Bulls vs. Oklahoma City Thunder preview (Game 66 of 82)

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Alex Roig

When: Sunday, 15 March 2015 at 12:00 PM CST
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK

One of the things the trade deadline did for the Oklahoma City Thunder was give them the option to play in a variety of manners. The time where Oklahoma City’s roster was littered with one-way players has gone by the way side. In its stead, the Thunder now have a roster full of players that, while not necessarily top notch on either end of the floor, are usually able to be net-positives in their time on the floor. In that same token, if a certain player is struggling, then another is waiting in the wing to pick up the slack. That overall depth is something that has been lacking since the days of James Harden, Eric Maynor, and Daequan Cook. And even though the Thunder played a team that could possibly end up with the first pick in the next draft in their last game, that depth is the reason why the Thunder were able to survive a line-up shuffle that saw them with Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka.

This is the 2nd, and final, meeting of the season between these two teams. The Chicago Bulls won a thriller a week and a half ago, 108-105, on an unlikely E’Twaun Moore 3-pointer in the final seconds of the game. The Thunder wasted a 43 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists masterpiece by Russell Westbrook, as the defense could not hold on to the 7 points lead they had going into the 4th quarter.

The Opponent

The Chicago Bulls come into this game with a 40-27 record, good for 4th in the Eastern Conference. Since they last met the Thunder, they’ve gone on to lose 4 of their next 5 games. Their problem in that span has largely been defense, as they have given up an uncharacteristic 102.2 points per game in that stretch. With Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, and Jimmy Butler still sidelined, the Bulls will have to depend on their defense to win games. The patch work back-court of Aaron Brooks and Tony Snell have kept the Bulls afloat with their occasional good games, and Mike Dunleavy Jr has provided the perimeter threat the Bulls lacked when he and Doug McDermott were out with injuries earlier in the season. Up front, Joakim Noah has been a bit hobbled, but will likely play in Sunday’s game. Pau Gasol continues to have one of his better season, posting 18.4 points and 12.1 boards per game. Off the bench, rookie of the year candidate Nikola Mirotic has been a revelation of late, averaging 15.2 points and 7.2 rebounds since the All-Star break.

Probable Starting Line-Ups

Chicago Bulls

PG – Aaron Brooks
SG – Tony Snell
SF – Mike Dunleavy Jr.
PF – Pau Gasol
C – Joakim Noah

Oklahoma City Thunder

PG – Russell Westbrook
SG – Andre Roberson
SF – Dion Waiters
PF – Mitch McGary
C – Enes Kanter

Three Things

1. Line-Up Changes – From now until the beginning of the game, there may be a lot of moving parts. Serge Ibaka (knee), Enes Kanter (knee), and Steven Adams (hip) all sat out practice on Saturday. Joakim Noah was extremely hobbled in their last game with a knee ailment and may be a game time decision. As I wrote in the opening paragraph of the preview, the Thunder are a lot better equipped to handle these types of situations now than they have been in the past.

2. Turnovers – More specifically, Russell Westbrook’s turnovers. Westbrook is averaging 9 turnovers per game in the last 3 games. For as great as he has been, he could be better. Westbrook’s turnovers are usually of the live-ball variety, which increase the opponent’s transition opportunities. If Westbrook could maybe cut that average down to 4, the Thunder will be able to hold on to leads and cut into deficits a lot better.

3. Nikola Mirotic – The Thunder had no answer for Mirotic in their first meeting. Even though he didn’t shoot it great from outside, he controlled the action offensively. The Thunder bigs were afraid of his ability to make 3’s, so they flashed out everytime he got the ball on the perimeter. And when he pump-faked, they jumped. He is quickly becoming a prime-time player, and Thunder will have to find someone to keep him in check.