Oklahoma City Thunder Week In Review +1: 11/1-11/8

Nov 5, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) dribble the ball around Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the second half at the United Center. The Bulls won 104-98. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Not much to say about the 1st quarter, as there were no significant runs by either team. A lot of shot trading saw the Thunder take a 28-25 lead into the 2nd quarter.

2 minutes into the 2nd, with the Thunder up 30-28, the Bulls sparked a 12-2 run to take a 40-32 lead with 7:21 to play in the first half. The Thunder put in work to cut the lead to 53-50 with less than 2 minutes remaining in the half, but Derrick Rose would score the final 4 points of the half to give the Bulls a 57-50 halftime lead.

More shot trading would ensue in the 3rd quarter. About halfway through the 3rd, the Bulls were holding onto a 69-63 lead. That’s when an 8-2 run by the Thunder tied the game at 71-71 with 3:21 to play in the period. The Bulls would outscore the Thunder 5-2 for the remainder of the quarter to claim a 76-73 lead heading into the 4th.

The 4th started with some brief shot trading, as the Thunder cut the lead to 78-77 just over a minute in. Unfortunately the Bulls would respond with 9 unanswered points to push their lead to 87-77 with 8:51 remaining. The Thunder would respond with a 15-3 run to tie the game at 90-90 with just over 5 minutes to play. The Bulls, however, would outscore the Thunder 14-8 the rest of the way to claim a 104-98 victory, and hand the Thunder their third straight loss.

Westbrook had a 20-point, 10-assist double-double, while Durant’s 33 points led all scorers in this one. Ibaka added 17 points, while Kanter’s 11 points marked the only noteworthy bench performance for the Thunder.

Gasol had an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Bulls. Although without strong bench play, Rose’s 29 points and Jimmy Butler’s 26 points were essential to the Bulls taking this one.

This is normally the part in my week-in-review where I give you the upcoming schedule, but since a lot of my fellow writers were being featured yesterday, I went ahead and decided to do a +1 for this week, hoping I could end it on a positive note. The Suns came to town yesterday to try to hand the Thunder a fourth straight loss. There must be something about those sunset orange jerseys that the Thunder wear in their Sunday games, because…

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