Amid controversy about the teams lack of chemistry, leadership, Derrick Rose, and the fact that the team is underachieving in general, the Chicago Bulls were not expected to win this Christmas Day bout with the Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the Bulls came together and won a big game, 105-96, where they led the entire time.

The offense for the Chicago Bulls clicked. This team came into the game as the 27th most efficient offense in the league. The Bulls were up as much as 16 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, with three players specifically leading the charge, and all of them were previously surrounded by some kind of controversy of sorts.

All-Star guard Jimmy Butler, who was reported to have been considered an arrogant leader among reporters, led the Chicago Bulls today with 23 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Pau Gasol, who was involved in multiple trade rumors and an avid defender of Jimmy Butler, put up a double-double with 21 points, 13 rebounds, while adding six assists and two blocks. Lastly, Derrick Rose, whose play all season and his usual lack of durability have always been a controversial subject, found a way to finish with 19 points.

Chicago came into this game losers of three straight, with their status as a top team in the East becoming a question instead of a guarantee. However, today they showed a glimpse of what the Fred Hoiberg-led team is supposed to become. This team is not completely fixed, but the Bulls must try to build momentum off this game. There is still time for them to prove themselves worthy. The core does not need to blow up.

The Oklahoma City Thunder only had three players who made more than three shots. Kevin Durant led the way with 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Russell Westbrook added 26 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals. Enes Kanter came off the bench and finished with a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds.

The Thunder did not shoot the ball well from any aspect. They finished the game shooting 38.5 percent from the field, 25 percent from behind the arc, and 69.6 percent from the free throw line. Russell Westbrook missed 14 shots and shot 1-of-7 from three. Oklahoma City was outmatched on both ends of the floor by the energy of the Chicago Bulls, coming away with a Christmas Day loss on their home floor.

With 4:58 left in the second quarter, the Bulls led the Thunder 51-37. Oklahoma City would end the half on a 15-3 run and seemingly gained the momentum, even though they were still down 54-52. The Bulls would further their lead to 10 and led 86-68 after the end of the third quarter. The Thunder would trim the deficit to eight but the Bulls would hang on and grab an impressive road victory.

Overall, this game is more about the Bulls overcoming adversity and clicking on the offensive end. The questions about this team still remain, but this game could very well get them back on the rails.

Next Up:

Bulls: 12/26 at Dallas Mavericks

Thunder: 12/27 host Denver Nuggets

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About the author
Josh Irby
An young communications and marketing, Joshua Irby is looking to sports journalism as a potential career and is motivated to write the most relevant and excellent sports articles possible.