The Chicago Bulls were less than impressive in their Oct. 25 season opener at the United Center, resulting in a humbling 124-104 loss to a young Oklahoma City Thunder team. The Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who went 12-of-18 from the field for 31 points, outscored the Bulls 33-22 in the fourth quarter. The Bulls were outrebounded, had less assists than OKC, and went 12-for-42 (28.6%) overall from the three point line. Unforced turnovers, missed open shots, and going several minutes without scoring left multiple Bulls players looking both visibly exhausted and frustrated by the end of the third quarter.
Bulls Insider, K.C. Johnson, tweeted the following after the game:
It’s either promising or scary that the Bulls are having “conversation with strong words” after game 1. We learned during the 2022-2023 season that patiently waiting for things to finally click can result in a 40-42 finish and no post-season, so correcting things early is crucial. That starts with everyone being held accountable, significant leadership from The Big Three, and playing as close to a 48 minute game as possible.
With 81 games and an in-season tournament still remaining this season, it’s a bit too early to say where the Bulls will finish. Hopefully the team will make the post-season and end with a much better record than last season. If not, it might be time to start rebuilding with a core that’s more championship, or at least Playoff, ready.
Next Up: The Bulls Take on the Raptors at the United Center in the first game of a back-to-back Fri, Oct. 27.
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