What to watch: OKC Thunder vs Chicago Bulls, playoffs?

The Oklahoma City Thunder will head to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bulls on the second night of a straight road back-to-back after the most impressive win of the season last night in Philadelphia against the Eastern Conference contending 76ers. That OKC Thunder win placed them just a half-game out of the Western Conference Play-In tournament.

The Thunder are closer to the sixth seed in the West, avoiding the play-in altogether and sitting inside the NBA playoffs than they are to a bottom three record or even the fourth worst record in the league where the team finished each of the last two seasons.

While this is going to be a tough turnaround for the OKC Thunder, they have the chance to make a statement on Friday night in Chicago. A win tonight and a Timberwolves loss to the Suns would place the Thunder in the play-in tournament for the time being.

What to watch for tonight as the Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Chicago Bulls in the Windy City, can the OKC Thunder grab a statement win on the second night of a back-to-back?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the second leg of a road back to back and many would chalk this up to a schedule loss if the Thunder stumble against Billy Donovan’s Bulls. However, without DeMar DeRozan, Tony Bradley, Javonte Green, and Lonzo Ball, this game becomes much more winnable against the 19-23 Bulls an identical record to OKC.

The Thunder could make a statement by grabbing this win, despite being the second youngest team in the NBA, despite being on a back-to-back after a hard-fought win against the 76ers, and despite struggling on the road so far this year, to grab this win would be huge for Mark Daigneault’s squad.

Can this young team keep their legs under them for 48 minutes with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing like an MVP this season matched up with an All-Star talent in Zach LaVine?