Justin Cooper

December 8, 2018

 

Friday night at the United Center, the Oklahoma City Thunder had an opportunity to take over the top spot in the Western Conference with a win over a Chicago Bulls team that, coming into the matchup, had managed to rack up just 5 wins on the season.  Fresh off a thrilling win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Thunder were not able to replicate the magic from two nights before, falling to Chicago 114-112 in an all-around lackluster performance by the team.

Steven Adams was a powerhouse in the paint in the first quarter, putting up 14 points while dominating the offensive glass.  Paul George, one day removed from his 47 point game winning performance against the Nets, looked as if he was picking up where he left off, adding 10 points in the quarter on 4-6 shooting.  Despite the offensive production from Adams and George, the Thunder found themselves trailing entering the second period, as four Chicago players were able to connect from deep, shooting 4-9 from range in the first and closing the period up 34-28.

The Thunder didn’t fare much better defending the perimeter in the second quarter as second year man Lauri Markkanen, appearing in only his third game for the Bulls this season after suffering an elbow strain that left the Finnish power forward sidelined through the first quarter of the season, found his shooting stroke, punishing OKC with 3 of 5 triples in the second.  The Bulls would take an 8 point lead into halftime, posting 70 points in the first half on the NBA’s top defense on stellar 50% shooting from the perimeter. 

The Thunder would go on to dominate the third period, limiting the Bulls to just 1-3 shooting from deep, converting 5 triples of their own, forcing 11 Bulls turnovers, and recapturing the lead, closing the quarter with a 4 point advantage, 91-87.  Oklahoma City could not sustain the lead in the fourth, however, as the Thunder were careless with the basketball, committing 11 turnovers in the frame, and ultimately could not stave off a Bulls team that, desperate for a win, would not go away all evening. 

With 11 seconds remaining in the contest and the game tied, Zach LaVine handed the ball off to Lauri Markkanen who rolled to the top of the key before driving hard down main street, spinning around Paul George, and finishing a heavily contested layup at the rim over the outstretched arm of Steven Adams.  Coming off a Billy Donavan timeout with 4.9 seconds remaining, the play was drawn up for Paul George who sprung free off an Adams screen at the nail.  With time expiring, George fired a potential game winner from the top of the key that bounced off the iron and was quickly corralled by Chicago.  The second game winning bucket of his career was not to be against the Bulls at the United Center Friday night.  

Much like their game versus the Nets, the Thunder allowed a monster first half again Friday night against the Bulls.  For all the fanfare surrounding the spectacular game winner in Brooklyn, it should be noted that the Thunder were down by 23 in the second half of the ballgame versus a Nets team that had, up to that point, posted an 8-17 record and had lost 7 straight.  The three point shot is the great equalizer, allowing teams with less talent to level the playing field some nights against superior competition when their shots are falling.  Never has this been more true than in today’s NBA where it is not uncommon to see both teams in a contest chuck up 40 shots from distance.  The Thunder are an elite defensive team and have done a fantastic job of flipping the script from last year’s team versus sub-.500 competition, however, the Nets and the Bulls have shown how vulnerable this Thunder team can be when they do not commit to closing out on the perimeter through four quarters.  

Friday night, the Thunder gave up 70 points in the first half against an out of sync Bulls team riddled with injuries and fresh off the firing of their head coach.  On a night when the team was poised to capture the number 1 spot in the Western Conference, the defensive effort was not there in a very winnable contest.  This team has shown an ability to learn from mistakes and make adjustments, as evidenced by their meteoric recovery from an 0-4 start.  While only one loss, the Western conference is cramped and will likely remain that way when vying for favorable playoff positioning is important.  This loss is a teachable moment for Billy Donovan.