Game Story: OKC at CHI
By Paris Lawson | Broadcast and Digital Reporter | okcthunder.com
THE BIG PICTURE
The Thunder jumped out to a strong start on the second night of its back-to-back and held a lead through the entire first half behind a sturdy defensive effort. However, a response run by the Bulls in the third frame gave Chicago its first lead of the night. The Thunder fought to keep the game close and the result was yet another tightly contested battle in crunch time.
MOMENTS FROM THE 48
Strong Start, Close Finish
The first half belonged almost entirely to the Thunder who built up a lead of as many as 15 points against the Bulls. It was OKC’s aggressive defense that proved to be the main culprit in its early control of the ball game. Each shot attempted by Chicago was met with at least one, and many times multiple hands to contest. Offensively, the Thunder’s ball movement kept the Bulls’ defense in motion and resulted in 15 assists on 20 made field goals at halftime as the Thunder led by four points.
“That's how you want to start against a team like that on the road,” said Daigneault. “You just kind of get a grip on the game early, you set a tone early and then you get them playing on your terms and I thought we did that for the first half and just set the right kind of tone to get a win.”
The Bulls answered out of the half with a commanding run and took their first lead of the night after a layup from Nikola Vučević with just over three minutes left in the third quarter. It was Vučević who was the culprit for Chicago’s third quarter run as the big man scored 13 in the frame on his own. The Thunder, whose offense hit a dry spell, relied on its free throw shooting to generate those grimy points to keep the scoreboard moving. The Bulls held a one-point advantage heading into the final frame.
From that point on, it was a tightly contested ball game that featured four lead changes in the fourth frame alone. The Thunder’s offense struggled to find its rhythm as the Bulls cashed in timely 3-pointers and baskets down the stretch.
To keep the scoreboard moving, Thunder guard Lu Dort attacked downhill with a full head of steam to put pressure on the rim. As a result, Dort drew four fouls in the final frame alone and finished the night with 14 free throw attempts.
However, the effort wouldn’t be enough as the Bulls came up with timely rebounds and baskets to secure the 106-101 victory.
“Credit them, they kept coming and they obviously put it together in the third but we were able to stay in the game and give ourselves a chance down the stretch," said Daigneault.
Darius Shines
Thunder forward Darius Bazley found himself face to face with DeMar DeRozan isolated at the top of the key as the clock counted down the final seconds of the first quarter. DeRozan attacked and elevated for one of his patented midrange jumpers. However, the shot was deflected by the extended arm of Bazley who erased the shot attempt and finished the night with three blocks.
“He's done a really nice job for us,” said Daigneault. “He's got great size and athleticism and he's really developed his fundamentals and his intellect on that end of the floor. He's reaping the benefits of that."
For the night, Bazley finished with a well-rounded 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals to go along with his trio of blocks. The third-year forward toggled between various matchups throughout the night from DeRozan all the way to Vučević . The effort marked Bazley’s second career game of two or more blocks and two or more steals.
Big Time Blocks
Bazley wasn’t the only player who made an impact in the block column. In fact, three different Thunder players logged three or more blocks for the first time in over six years of Thunder basketball. Bazley, Isaiah Roby and Aleksej Pokuševski all finished with a trio of swats as a result of the aggressive shot contesting by the Thunder’s defense throughout the night.
Giddey’s Triple-Double
With 11 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds, Thunder rookie Josh Giddey recorded his second career triple double. Giddey became the youngest player in NBA history to log a triple-double back on January 2. On Saturday, Giddey’s 10 assists generated 27 points of Thunder offense and in addition to his 11 points, the rookie was responsible for 38 total points for OKC.
"He was really good tonight, good floor game,” said Daigneault. “I thought a lot of the tone that we set early in the game was him. I was impressed with his poise tonight."
“As Coach Mark would say – skittles,” said Giddey. “I would have been happier if it came in a win but my teammates do a good job of getting in the right spots, making shots so they make me look good.”
THE LAST WORD
WHAT'S NEXT
The Thunder’s three-game Eastern Conference road trip concludes with a matchup against the New York Knicks on Monday. OKC’s final game before the All-Star Break will take place on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs inside of Paycom Center.