Oklahoma City Thunder (19-23) at Chicago Bulls (19-23) – 7:00 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio)
Projected Starters
Chicago Bulls
1. Ayo Dosunmu 2. Zach LaVine 3. DeMar DeRozan 4. Patrick Williams 5. Nikola Vučević
Injury Report: Javonte Green OUT (knee), DeMar DeRozan DOUBTFUL (quad), Zach LaVine PROBABLE (ankle)
Oklahoma City Thunder
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2. Josh Giddey 3. Lu Dort 4. Jalen Williams 5. Jaylin Williams
Injury Report: Aleksej Pokuševski OUT (leg), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl OUT (ankle)
Odds
The Bulls walk into tonight as -4.5 favorites against the Thunder at the FanDuel Illinois Sportsbook. Click on either link to sign up and pick the Bulls to cover (… or pick the opposite …)!
What to Watch For …
I’d be lying if I said my hopes were high. Not only have the Thunder already beaten the Bulls once this season, but the Bulls are also fresh off a loss to a Wizards team without Bradley Beal and Kristaps Prozingis. About the only thing that has been consistent for Chicago this season is the fact that they repeatedly look unprepared and overconfident against lesser teams. One can only hope that previously allowing the Thunder to put up 123 points and get six scorers into double figures will cause them to come out with a greater sense of urgency. They know this team can beat them if they take their foot off the gas.
Speaking of which, the Thunder have been giant killers in 2023 …
So far in January the OKC Thunder have beat the 76ers, Mavericks and Celtics by a total of 63 points. pic.twitter.com/emxZwQYswu
Without DeMar DeRozan again tonight, someone is going to have to step up. Zach LaVine carried his weight throughout the contest, and Nikola Vucevic played decently well considering the Bulls struggled to adequately feed him the ball in the post. But the rest of the supporting cast were pretty much no-shows. Patrick Williams scored 6 points, Goran Dragic scored 7 points, and Ayo Dosunmu scored 8 points. Someone is going to have to do more on that end of the floor, and I really hope that someone is Pat.
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
Look, I know the last person who should be pointing and laughing at a team is me. I write about the lowly Chicago Bulls every day like a depressed maniac. But I'd be lying if I said it didn't bring...
Anthony Edwards is on the path toward superstardom. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard is coming off a career season, and he's only continued his breakout campaign during the team's first-round series against the Phoenix Suns. Edwards has outplayed the Suns' star-studded...
Candace Parker has called it a career. One of the best players in WNBA history, Parker announced via her Instagram on Sunday that she is retiring. The news comes in the same month as Parker's 38th birthday and after her...
The Chicago Bulls front office would never stand for what we saw on Saturday! All four winners took the game by double digits. That's right, not a single competitive loss! The Orlando Magic started the day off with their second-straight...
At least the Chicago Bulls aren't the only ones to have injury trouble! The injuries are starting to become a storyline in the NBA playoffs, specifically for the Bulls' central division foe. The Milwaukee Bucks are at risk of going...
The Milwaukee Bucks are likely to be without Damian Lillard for Sunday's pivotal Game 4. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Lillard is currently in a walking boot after straining his Achilles on Friday night. The superstar guard's availability for...
Despite launching a complete rebuild since the last made the postseason in 2019-20, the Orlando Magic had a familiar face in the building on Thursday night. Current Bulls starting center Nikola Vucevic was sitting courtside for the Magic's Game 3...
I don't need to tell you for the millionth time that the Chicago Bulls have been a massive disappointment over the last decade. So I'll just show you! RealGM put together an infographic that outlines each NBA team's net rating...
The Bears drafted Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. The Blackhawks drafted Connor Bedard. The Sky drafted Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The Cubs have the best farm system in baseball. Welcome to the Chicago Sports Renaissance! Feel free to join...
Joel Embiid cut into the New York Knicks series lead on Thursday night. With the Round 1 battle heading back to Philadelphia, Embiid looked like the reigning MVP with 50 points on 13-19 shooting and a 19-21 performance from the...
After winning four games in a row, the Philadelphia Phillies (19-10) play on the road against the Los Angeles Angels (10-18) at 9:38 PM ET on Monday.The Phillies will give the ball to Cristopher Sanchez (1-3, 2.59 ERA), who is...
The Los Angeles Dodgers (18-12) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (13-16) face off at Chase Field on Monday at 9:40 PM ET, starting a three-game series.The Dodgers will call on James Paxton (2-0) versus the Diamondbacks and Tommy Henry (1-1).Dodgers vs....
The San Diego Padres (14-17) begin a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds (15-13) with a Monday meeting at PETCO Park. First pitch is at 9:40 PM ET.The probable pitchers are Nick Lodolo (2-0) for the Reds and Matt Waldron...
The Atlanta Braves (19-7) visit the Seattle Mariners (15-13) on Monday to kick off a three-game series at T-Mobile Park. The matchup starts at 9:40 PM ET.The Braves will give the nod to Max Fried (2-0) against the Mariners and...
The Oakland Athletics (12-17) kick off a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (14-15) with a Monday matchup at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. First pitch is at 9:40 PM ET.The Pirates will give the nod to Bailey Falter (2-1) versus the...
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 4.5-point favorites for Game 5 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Tuesday, beginning at 8:00 PM ET on NBA. The series is tied 2-2. The...
The Indiana Pacers are slight 3.5-point favorites for a decisive Game 5 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday, beginning at 9:30 PM ET on TNT. The Pacers have a...
The Milwaukee Brewers (17-10) and Tampa Bay Rays (13-16) meet Monday at American Family Field, starting at 7:40 PM ET on BSSUN. The Brewers are -111 moneyline favorites for the contest, however, the Rays are favored against the spread of...
The Minnesota Twins (14-13) are -163 favorites to extend their seven-game win streak when they face the Chicago White Sox (6-22), winners of three in a row. The game begins Monday at 7:40 PM ET on Fox Sports 1, live...
Jaylen Brown's Boston Celtics play the Miami Heat on Monday at 7:30 PM ET in Game 4 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and to beat his 3-point over/under, he must make two from downtown.Jaylen Brown's Three-Pointer Prop...
NEWSLETTER
