The Bulls were tamed at home by the Thunder

OKC never ceases to impress. In the “back-to-back” after their victory in Philly the previous day, the Thunder ensured the trip and the victory on the floor of a pale Chicago team that was once again in doubt.

Mark Daigneault’s troops took advantage from the start, relying in particular on an inspired Jalen Williams (11-21). It was then necessary to resist the strong return of the locals at the end of the first quarter, especially thanks to the 3-pointers of Derrick Jones Jr and Coby White (31-33), then 11-3 passed by Chicago. at the beginning of the second period (42-36).

A mini-shake was quickly dissolved by OKC, who responded with a 14-2 run marked by a dunk by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and finished by a lay-up by Luguentz Dort (54-68). SGA blew the lid off by embarrassing Zach LaVine by passing between his legs for Jalen Williams’ dunk.

You can believe the Bulls couldn’t recover from such an upset, at -14 at the break (58-72). However, there was a nice reaction of pride in the third quarter, with a notable contribution from Patrick Williams once the break came back, then a 9-0 run to end the period, with a 3-pointer from Alex Caruso completely live in suspense. 12 minutes from time (90-91).

Unfortunately for Chicago, this outburst was fruitless. OKC did not budge, and continued its destructive business thanks to its collective Darius Bazley through Josh Giddey to Aaron Wiggins without forgetting the infallible Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a symbol of calmness and confidence of this youngster. .

The 11-2 that Thunder passed five minutes from the end (96-108) thus lost “money-time” at the United Center. Jalen and Kenrich Williams’ 3-pointers combined with a superb Nowitzki-esque step-back by Josh Giddey to lead OKC to the victory, its 20th of the season (110-124).

WHAT YOU SHOULD REMEMBER

– Two opposing dynamics. The difference is glaring between the two teams at a crossroads. With Chicago on the one hand, giving the impression that every basket is a victory, and OKC on the other, with an established game plan, strengths and contagious calmness were identified. We feel the weight of the collective in the performance of the Thunder, and the absence of this same collective in the poor performance of the Bulls.

– A playoff game. The match was split between different highlights, and OKC compiled many more to clinch the victory, between a 14-2 run before the break to respond with a 19-3 run at the line. up by Chicago between the end of the first and the beginning of the second quarter and the 11-2 run that allowed the Thunder to easily close out the game. It remains to be seen if the Windy-City’s three-game losing streak will also drag on regarding the calendar to come.

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ The SGA-Giddey duo. Class, poise, confidence and talent. These are the first terms that come to mind when summing up OKC’s rear-wheel drive game. 20+ points each on 50% or more passing, 6 assists each, four more rebounds for Josh Giddey, four more steals for SGA. A real treat to watch, unless you can’t stand Chicago!

✅ Jalen Williams. The rookie delivered one of the best games of his season. Instilled with confidence from the start, he signed remarkable passages to finish with 22 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

⛔️ Zach LaVine. Suffering, frustration and of course awkwardness, this is necessarily a completely different lexical field chosen to describe Zach LaVine’s very dull performance. DeMar DeRozan’s absence may free him, it freezes him. The back does not shine with the quality of his options, sometimes also giving the impression of having to achieve a victory to score. It’s a little weird because he finally seems to be back on track.

THE FOLLOWING

Chicago (19-24): The Bulls will welcome the defending champion this Sunday at 9:30 pm

Oklahoma City (20-23): the Thunder have an appointment in Brooklyn this Sunday night (midnight).