Chicago Bulls vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction: Bulls are improved but Thunder can fight

The NBA is on and this is the time for the midseason contemplations as the halfway stage brings us a lot of incredible developments. One of the major developments is the trade scenario where we see a lot of lineup shuffling. In this game two teams that require lineup shuffles, the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to meet.

The Bulls enter the game after suffering a close 97:100 loss against the Wizards that marked the second straight loss for the team despite LaVine having 27, 38 points respectively in thos two games. Chicago has lost 23 games and has won just 19 which means that they need a rehaul. Not having Lonzo Ball for around a year now has hurt the team balance and without him, the team has suffered on both ends. However, that is not the only problem, the team has a weak bench and has played way too many close games, and some results in their favor could have easily put them over 50% win mark. The Bulls will have eight of their 11 games at home so it is an important window to correct the course.

The Thunder come into this game after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 133:114 as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 37 points. The Thunder has won five of their eight games and the Oklahoma City squad has won 19 and lost 23 games. This is a great record for a team that features multiple rookies and sophomores in their starting lineup. The offense has been way better than last season but the problem is the same, it is all about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. One huge improvement has been the play of Josh Giddey who has had some strong nights. The move to bring rookie Jalen Williams into the starting lineup has helped and overall I’d consider this season a huge success for the Thunder thus far.

These teams have similar records but honestly, Thunder has sort of overachieved while the Bulls have underachieved. Chicago has been playing without DeMar DeRozan which has further dented their already struggling offense. LaVine has filled in well and he will need to come up with a big night. I believe the thunder will once again come with a lot of fire but I see Chicago finally closing one out as this game does have the Overtime vibes. Anyway, I predict a scoreline of 119:115 in favor of Chicago.