Thunder Roll into Chicago and Win Without Their Star 116-108
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t in the building. The reigning MVP, the heartbeat of the Oklahoma City Thunder, sat in street clothes, managing an abdominal strain that had already cost him most of February. And you know what? It didn’t matter. Not even a little.
The Thunder beat the Chicago Bulls 116-108 on Tuesday night at the United Center, and did it the way great teams are supposed to — with depth, collective will, and a third quarter that simply broke Chicago’s spirit. OKC improved to 48-15, the best record in the Western Conference, and has now won six of its last seven games. This team is built different.
Thunder Get a Coming-Out Party for McCain and Joe
If the Thunder have a calling card beyond their superstar, it’s this: they trust everyone. Tuesday was proof.
Jared McCain led the way with 20 points, drilling four three-pointers and showing the kind of poise that makes OKC fans feel good about the future. Isaiah Joe was right behind him with 19 points in what was one of the more quietly efficient performances of his season. These aren’t household names. But they played like they belonged — because they do.
Aaron Wiggins added 18 points, finished a game-best plus-17, and drew this from Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault postgame: “He played good defense — played a good floor game, scored the ball. Was really comfortable, especially that third quarter.” When your role player is that comfortable without the best player on the floor, that says everything about your program’s culture.
Cason Wallace chipped in 17 points. Chet Holmgren posted 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jaylin Williams was a monster — 17 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists. Seven players scored in double figures. This is what depth looks like when it’s done right.
The Third Quarter Is Where the Thunder Took Over
Chicago had a pulse at halftime, trailing by just one at 55-54. The Bulls had something to play for — a chance to build on Sunday’s blowout win over Milwaukee, to show they weren’t just another team fading toward the lottery.
Then Chet Holmgren dunked to open the third quarter. That was the beginning of the end.
The Thunder went on a 14-3 run and never really looked back. OKC outscored Chicago 8-2 over the final three minutes of the third, capped by a vintage McCain triple, to carry an 87-76 lead into the fourth. The Bulls had no answer. The crowd at the United Center felt it. That slow, collective exhale of a fanbase that knows the game is over.
Bulls Showed Fight, But Couldn’t Close the Gap
Chicago didn’t quit — give them that. Collin Sexton poured in 20 points and hit a three late in the fourth to cut it to 112-106, giving Bulls fans a brief flicker of hope. Guerschon Yabusele, the 6-foot-8 Frenchman acquired at the trade deadline from New York, posted a season-high 18 points and 12 rebounds in his third double-double in 11 games. He hit four threes. He was good.
Josh Giddey flirted with a triple-double for the second straight game — finishing with 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists — but a stolen assist on a scorer’s table review left him one short in both categories. Young Matas Buzelis, the only Bull to play in every game this season, left in the third with a rolled right ankle after stepping on Jaylin Williams‘ foot.
But the gap between these two franchises right now? It’s wide.
What It Means for the Thunder
The Thunder are the class of the Western Conference, and nights like Tuesday only reinforce it. They won on the road, without their MVP, against a team that was riding emotional momentum coming off a big win. The bench held the fort. The starters were sharp. The defense forced 19 Chicago turnovers compared to just 9 for OKC.
This is what defending champions look like. They don’t need a superstar every night. They need everyone to do their job, and right now, everyone is doing exactly that.
Oklahoma City heads to New York on Wednesday. Chicago travels to Phoenix on Thursday, looking to regroup and figure out what the rest of this season means for their rebuild.
For the Thunder, though, the message is simple: they’re rolling, and nobody in the West seems ready to slow them down.
