1 day Ago By Thunder Wire
OKLAHOMA CITY — A lot of pregame pageantry was involved in this one. This marked Josh Giddey's first visit back to OKC since he was traded this past offseason. Fans cheered and his former teammates hugged.
Turns out, that was the only interesting tidbit. Once the ball went up in the air, this became an otherwise standard blowout victory.The Oklahoma City Thunder had a relaxed 145-117 win over the Chicago Bulls.
The former led for the majority of the contest by double-digit points and by as many as 43 points.After both teams struggled to score at the start, the Thunder offense got it going. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander slithered his way around the paint and Isaiah Joe didn't need long to heat up.
Pair that with Giddey's struggles against Jalen Williams, OKC exited the first quarter with a 29-18 lead.That multiplied in the second quarter. Highlighted by a dominant 20-5 run, the Thunder scored 49 points in the frame and entered halftime with a decisive 74-40 lead.
Nearly doubling Chicago's points, this was the rare game where the outcome was decided by the break. Everybody would've been better off with a running clock in the second half.The Thunder continued their dominance out of the break.
They surpassed 40 points against and put this one away. Going with the hockey lineup change, all of the Thunder's starters checked out for the final time before the third quarter even ended. They held a 114-74 lead after three frames.
The Bulls' backups prettied up the final score in the fourth quarter with 43 points but that was pure optics. It was another fourth frame where Gilgeous-Alexander got to sit out and enjoy some extra rest.The Thunder shot 53% from the field and went 23-of-43 (53.
5%) from 3. They shot 18-of-23 on free throws. They had 39 assists on 52 baskets.
Seven Thunder players scored double-digit points.Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 27 points and 12 assists. Williams had an efficient 23 points.
Joe scored 31 points off the bench as he was on fire from deep. Isaiah Hartenstein had 14 points and seven rebounds. Lu Dort had 11 points.
Cason Wallace and Kenrich Williams each scored 10 points.Meanwhile, the Bulls shot 45% from the field and went 16-of-51 (31.4%) from 3.
They shot 13-of-16 on free throws. They had 29 assists on 44 baskets. Seven Bulls players scored double-digit points.
Giddey finished with 15 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Mata Buzelis had 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Patrick Williams scored 13 points.
Nikola Vucevic had 11 points and eight rebounds. Jevon Carter scored 17 points and Talen Horton-Tucker scored 16 points off the bench.The Bulls are the latest team who entered OKC with a red-hot streak and got quickly extinguished.
Not that the reminder was needed, but the Thunder showed once again why they're in their own tier alone compared to the rest of the league.As the regular season winds down, the Thunder collected another historic record like they're Thanos with Infinity Stones. This time, they surpassed the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors for the most regular-season wins against an opposing conference at 28-1.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: AStop if you've heard this one, but Gilgeous-Alexander was unstoppable against the Bulls. Plenty of acrobatic finishes filled his highlight reel as Chicago's interior defense was non-existent. That paired with a drive-heavy scorer were the perfect ingredients for another efficient outing.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 12 assists. He shot 2-of-2 from 3 and went 7-of-7 on free throws. He also had two blocks.
He only played in three quarters and logged 27 minutes.Considering the opponent, Gilgeous-Alexander was in cruise control. He stepped back and played in a facilitator role and scored within the flow of the offense.
He tricked several Bulls defenders into fouling him. This was another ho-hum game for the MVP candidate as he enjoyed another fourth quarter off.Handles go crazy 😮💨 pic.
twitter.com/Nhqojzr3SM— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 1, 2025Hit 'em with the step🔙 pic.twitter.
com/15r6ktwDG9— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 1, 2025Jalen Williams: ANavigating through the paint, Williams kept finding his favorite mid-range spots. At the elbow or the baseline, the Bulls couldn't force the 23-year-old to earn his buckets.Williams finished with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, four rebounds and three assists.
He shot 4-of-7 from 3 and went 1-of-3 on free throws. He had two steals. He also only played three quarters as he logged 25 minutes.
Williams got into a groove against the Bulls. They're a prime get-right candidate for most contenders in the league. Several Thunder players have played some of their best basketball with the playoffs around the corner and nobody else is more important sans Gilgeous-Alexander than him.
Sm♾️th pic.twitter.com/fcvvuLY8mg— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 1, 2025Fadeaways aren't going away 👋 pic.
twitter.com/SoSfqbxkOx— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 1, 2025Precision pass 🪡 AND-1 a finish 💪 pic.twitter.
com/A3K1fDl7NA— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 1, 2025Isaiah Joe: A-plusLocating to the left-wing spot, Joe received Branden Carlson's swing pass and rattled in another outside look. The only drama left in a forgettable fourth quarter was if the role player could cross the 30-point mark for the second time this season.Joe did as he finished with 31 points on 10-of-17 shooting, two rebounds and one assist.
He shot 8-of-14 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws. The microwave scorer only needed 24 minutes off the bench to reach those numbers.It was a fast start for Joe as he reached 11 points after the first quarter.
With 22 points in three frames, the 25-year-old tried his luck in a glorified scrimmage to be the Thunder's leading scorer. He was unconscious as several deep attempts swished through.Talking about Thunder role players hitting their stride at the right time, add Joe to that list.
A scoring outburst like this could swing a playoff game in favor of OKC. Considering the amount of attention Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams receive, he's a prime candidate to go off from deep.From downtown OKC 🎯 pic.
twitter.com/9DJ5XaTTNE— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 1, 20251️⃣3️⃣ first half Thunder threes 👌 pic.twitter.
com/CdbleGwrsU— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 1, 2025Lu Dort: BThe Thunder have gone full out to push for Dort's Defensive Player of the Year case. Several of his teammates posted a social media graphic that showed how high-usage perimeter scorers have been held under their average for most of their dates against OKC this season.Add this outing to the photo.
Dort finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting and three rebounds. He shot 3-of-5 from 3. He also had a steal.
Like the rest of the Thunder starters, he sat out the fourth quarter and only logged 26 minutes.While Coby White is no Luka Doncic, to be held to seven points is an impressive feat by Dort. He couldn't get going against the Thunder and resorted to comedic attempts at drawing contact.
There's a reason why OKC has only allowed a handful of 30-point scorers this season and that will likely remain the case with less than two weeks left.Highlights:This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder destroy Bulls in 145-117 win as Giddey returns.
