CHICAGO (AP) – Josh Giddey matched a season high with 25 points and added 10 rebounds, helping the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 124-110 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
Rookie Jalen Williams scored 22 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 21 for the Thunder, who have won two straight, four of five and completed a sweep of their season series against Chicago.
“I thought we drifted from our identity, especially in the third quarter,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “But we got it back on track to start the fourth quarter. Those were growth points for us.”
Zach LaVine scored 25 points and Nikola Vucevic had 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Bulls lost their third straight.
Leading scorer DeMar DeRozan missed a second straight game due to a quadriceps injury suffered in Monday’s loss at Boston.
The Bulls trailed by as many as 18 points early in the second half before going on an 18-5 run and closing within 91-90 by the end of the third period. Chicago never did overtake Oklahoma City, which got consecutive baskets off Chicago turnovers to push the lead to 104-94 midway through the final period.
“We were able to get the car back on the road,” said Darius Bazley, who came off the bench to add 14 points and three of the Thunder’s 10 steals. “When we get stops like that and teams aren’t even getting shots at the rim, it feels really good.”
The Bulls never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.
