Isaiah Joe led Oklahoma City with a season-high-tying 31 points as the Thunder beat the visiting Chicago Bulls 145-117 on Monday for their 10th win in a row.
The Thunder are 28-1 against Eastern Conference opponents this season, setting a record for most out-of-conference wins in NBA history. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors held the record with a 27-3 record.
Oklahoma City (63-13) kept alive its chances of becoming the third team in NBA history to win 70 games in a season. The Thunder would need to win out to accomplish the feat.
Oklahoma City is a win shy of tying the franchise mark for victories in a season, set in 1995-96 when the franchise was in Seattle.
The Bulls (33-42) took their second consecutive loss and fell to 10th in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Thunder’s 145 points were one off their season high, while it was the most given up by the Bulls since January 2023.
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. He added 12 assists in just 27 minutes of action as he sat out the fourth quarter with the outcome well in hand.
Joe equaled his career high with eight 3-pointers.
The Thunder came into the game averaging an NBA-best 21.6 points off turnovers this season. They had topped that mark by halftime, scoring 22 points off the Bulls’ 14 first-half giveaways while building a 74-40 lead.
The Thunder took control with a 45-point second quarter. The period included a 36-13 run that put Oklahoma City up 65-33. Oklahoma City reserves Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso each had two steals during that stretch.
By the time five minutes remained in the third, Oklahoma City had stretched its lead to 43 points.
The Thunder finished with 34 points off 20 Chicago turnovers.
The game was the first in Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey since being traded to the Bulls in exchange for Caruso in the offseason. The Australian spent the first three seasons of his NBA career with the Thunder.
Giddey received a large ovation when he was introduced before the game. He finished 6 of 15 for 15 points, with 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Jevon Carter led the Bulls with 17 points, while Patrick Williams and Talen Horton-Tucker added 16 points each.
–Field Level Media
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