Jared McCain scored 20 points, Isaiah Joe had 19 and Jaylin Williams added 17 points and 16 rebounds to lift the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 116-108 victory against the host Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.
Oklahoma City outscored Chicago 32-22 in the third quarter and withstood a late run from the Bulls’ bench to hand Chicago its 12th loss in 13 games.
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was held out of the game to manage an abdominal strain. The reigning NBA MVP scored a combined 66 points in victories on Friday and Sunday after missing the team’s previous nine games due to the injury.
Aaron Wiggins had 18 points and Cason Wallace 17 for Oklahoma City, which has won six of its past seven. Chet Holmgren notched 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Matas Buzelis swished a pair of free throws to give the Bulls a two-point advantage 1:01 into the third quarter. Chicago never led after that.
Collin Sexton paced Chicago with 20 points. Josh Giddey contributed 14 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. Guerschon Yabusele (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Nick Richards (12 points, 13 rebounds) had double-doubles, and Tre Jones scored 15 points.
Buzelis added 11 points before leaving the game late in the third quarter. The only Bull to play in each of the team’s 62 games, Buzelis rolled his right ankle after stepping on Williams’ foot.
The Thunder and Bulls slogged through the opening minutes, combining on 4-for-21 shooting — including 1-for-11 from long range — out of the gate. Oklahoma City led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but the Bulls stayed afloat despite committing 11 turnovers before the break. Chicago had 19 giveaways for the game.
Sexton’s driving layup at the halftime buzzer drew the Bulls within 55-54, as Chicago limited the Thunder to three points over the final 2:35 of the second quarter.
Joe and Yabusele scored 15 points apiece in the first half, with Joe collecting nine straight Thunder points during one stretch of the second period.
Oklahoma City has won seven straight meetings with the Bulls, including a four-game winning streak in Chicago.
–Field Level Media
