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Final Score: Chicago Bulls beat Oklahoma City Thunder, 114-112
Chicago Bulls put up a fantastic show at the United Center as they beat Oklahoma City Thunder in a nail-biting contest on 7th December.
Bulls are 6-20 for the season and ended their six-game losing streak. Thunder, on the other hand, are now 16-8 for the season.
It was all about Bulls in the first half. They had a six-point lead in the first quarter which went to 8 points at the end of the second.
The scoring was lead by Zach Lavine and Lauri Markkanen, and both finished the game with 25 and 24 points respectively.
Bulls had a huge 1st half:
Thunder made a comeback in the third by outscoring Bulls by 29-17 but could not win against this valiant Bulls' side who gave it all in the fourth quarter.
For Thunder, Russell Westbrook had a Triple-Double whereas Steven Adams had a double-double for the night.
Now, let us talk about the three main points from the match.
#1 Thunder made a comeback in the third quarter, but that was not enough
OKC was trailing by eight points at the end of the second quarter, but they came back strong in the third with an 11-2 run and transformed the 8 point deficit to a 75-72 lead.
For OKC, Westbrook scored 24 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists. The problem with Westbrook has been turnovers for quite a long time now. He turned it over ten times in today's match also.
Five of the players on the team had scored in double figures, clearly showing the teamwork.
Paul George missed the game-winner:
OKC is considered as one of the best defensive teams in the NBA right now, but the fact is that they have had an easy schedule till now and have not played with strong teams. It would be interesting to see where they will stand when the table takes a turn for them.
#2 Change of Fortunes for Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls have looked a completely different team lately. This difference in the unit is the result of some of the changes that have been made recently.
Fred Hoiberg was fired after a 5-19 start to the season and was replaced by Jim Boylen who has been NBA assistant coach for a long time.
Boylen wasted no time after taking charge and targetted training and conditioning methods of the Bulls. The team is looking good after he has taken over and he himself jumping on the sidelines is proof of it.
The second change has been the return of Lauri Markkanen, who was out due to an elbow injury.
Lauri has proved to be an essential factor in winning the game against OKC by scoring the final shot to seal the deal for the Bulls.
It will be interesting to see how this Bulls' side performs next.
#3 Player of the Game- Lauri Markkanen
Lauri Markkanen is my player of the match. He scored 24 points and four three-pointers and looked solid. It was his third match for the season as he has been out due to the elbow injury.
Lauri executed the last play for the Bulls which made the difference in the match. He shot the final lay-up over Paul George and running Steven Adams which shows the fearless attitude of the 21-year-old Finnish basketball player.
The game-winner:
If he remains fit for the rest of the season, Bulls can undoubtedly improve their record this season.
Below is what the young star had to say after the match:
''We've had a couple of rough weeks here,'' Markkanen said. ''Adversity hit us. I think that made us stronger. (We) have to put the team first and just keep going.''
Both the teams have home games next.
Chicago Bulls will host Boston Celtics next, and OKC will host Utah.
