Freshly back from a four-game road trip, the OKC Thunder entered week nine of NBA action knowing they’ll face five sub .500 teams in their next six games and have a genuine opportunity to move up the ladder.
But, nothing is ever as simple as it sounds and the Bulls arrived with plenty of confidence having split their last eight games including a win over the Clippers and three of their four losses were by a cumulative eight points (including a five-point overtime differential).
Chicago jumped on OKC and while the fatigue from the road could be cited by the same token poor first quarters is a common issue the Thunder have displayed this season.