Oklahoma City Thunder (58-16) beat Chicago Bulls (29-44) 131-113 at home on Friday, March 27.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Bulls struck first, taking the opening quarter 32-29 and a 3-point lead after one. The Bulls kept the pressure on with a 35-33 second quarter, carrying a 5-point lead into halftime.
The Thunder won the third 33-21 to turn the game around, taking a 7-point lead into the fourth. The Thunder took the fourth 36-25; the Thunder finished the job for a 131-113 regulation win.
What decided it
The Thunder grabbed 28.8% of their own misses, while the Bulls recovered 18.9%. The Thunder made 22.8 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 16.3 for the Bulls. The second chances kept adding up.
At roughly 109 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 120.2 points per 100 possessions to 103.7 for the Bulls.
The Thunder's reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 46-30.
Who made the difference
Tre Jones was the game's biggest individual force for CHI: 21 pts, 7 reb, 9 ast on 8-12 shooting. His Game Score of 23.5 led everyone. His team was -13 with him on the floor.
Cason Wallace led the Thunder with 21 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl on 8-11 shooting, good for a 22.1 Game Score.
Jaylin Williams (12 pts, 10 reb, 0 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Thunder about a 93% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 3-0.
The Thunder are now 58-16, and the Bulls are 29-44. The Thunder last five before this game: W-W-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.