Getty Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrates after hitting the game winning shot.
Basic math says that three are greater than one. For the Chicago Bulls in their 123-119 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the inverse was true as their Big Three were outdone by OKC’s solo act.
Fifth-year guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer. He tallied 12 of his 30 points in the first quarter guiding the Thunder to a 32-30 lead after the frame.
He spread the wealth out over the next three quarters, notching five more points in overtime.
The game essentially came down to a savvy move from Gilgeous-Alexander right out of the pages of DeMar DeRozan’s playbook. Gilgeous-Alexander pump-faked, getting DeRozan in the air with his own move, and leaned into the Bulls star to draw a critical foul earning three attempts at the free-throw line.
DeRozan’s Final Plea
“SGA said DeMar DeRozan told him to give him one miss when he was taking his 3 FTAs”, reports Clemente Almanza of The Thunder Wire.
You can see the immediate regret from DeRozan as he’s whistled for the egregious act.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander x DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan finished with another 30-point game, his eighth of the year, including 15 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. But the ironic part is DeRozan’s flub followed his successful attempt at drawing a foul Thunder wing Luguentz Dort and earning his seventh and eighth free throws.
The loss snaps the Bulls’ impressive (albeit mini) win streak with back-to-back victories over the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.
They are now 12th in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls are 4-2 against the top-four teams in the East, 4-4 against the rest of the conference, and have yet to notch a win against a team from the West in five attempts making them the only team in the NBA winless against the opposite conference.
They also now have the same record as the Thunder, a team with Bulls head coach Billy Donovan left two summers ago as the organization went into its current rebuild. In two-plus seasons as Bulls coach, Donovan is three games below .500 at 85-88.
Challenge Accepted, Not Met
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan issued a challenge to DeRozan and the rest of the Bulls stars after the loss to the Magic. DeRozan publicly accepted even calling the weight of the expectations “fun” as a competitor.
“Coach challenged me, Zach [LaVine], and [Nikola] Vucevic a few games ago. We gotta live up to that. Keep this group going. It’s a challenge we all accepted,” DeRozan said per NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson. “You want to be challenged that way to make yourself and team better.”
The Bulls have now bookended their solid victories with disappointing losses.
Change the dateline and the lead works again
DeRozan did his part maintaining his reputation as a fourth-quarter maven. But LaVine – who had 12 points on 50% shooting overall and from deep in the four quarter – and Vucevic combined for zero points on 0-for-5 shooting in overtime with all of their looks coming from beyond the arc.
Vucevic finished with 13 points and 13 boards but had just two points on 1-for-7 shooting after the break.
Next Up for Bulls
The Bulls’ journey won’t get any easier as they continue this six-game road trip. Next up are the Utah Jazz led by failed former Bulls savior Lauri Markkanen. Then they will take on the Phoenix Suns, defending champion Golden State Warriors, and upstart Sacramento Kings.
They will return home will be for one game apiece against the Washington Wizards — whom they already lost to — and Luka Doncic‘s Dallas Mavericks before traveling to the Atlanta Hawks.
Things could get a lot worse before they start to look better.
Then again, if the Bulls are going to keep playing up to their competition, they could pull off an upset or two on their road trip. If not, the calls for something to change will only grow louder as they fall further out of contention.