Chicago Bulls at Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, January 31 looks like a mismatch on paper. Our ratings give the Thunder about a 93% chance, and the Bulls would need an unusual night to change that.
Why the gap is wide
The Win Meter reads the Thunder 93%, with a projected score of Chicago Bulls 107, Oklahoma City Thunder 123. The rating gap is 339 points in favor of the Thunder, and home court and rest add about 100 rating points for the Thunder on top of that.
A reading this high has real meaning, but upsets of this size happen. Nearly one game in 14 like it goes the other way.
Recent form
The Bulls are 1-2 this season and 1-4 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -17. The Thunder are 2-0 this season and 3-2 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of +0.4.
The Bulls were beaten 135-92 on the road by TOR not long ago.
The Thunder were beaten 118-91 on the road by SAS not long ago.
Injuries to watch
Out: Nicolas Claxton (CHI), expected back Nov 4, 2026, Noa Essengue (CHI), expected back Oct 26, 2026, Patrick Williams (CHI), expected back Oct 26, 2026, Thomas Sorber (OKC), expected back Oct 26, 2026, and Nikola Topic (OKC), expected back Oct 26, 2026.
The season series
In our records of recent meetings, the Thunder lead 4-0, with the Thunder outscoring the Bulls by an average of 18.3 points per game. The last meeting was CHI 113, OKC 131.