FULL TIME!
Oklahoma City Thunder beat Chicago Bulls by 20 points in NBA opener: 104-124.
4Q - 03:00
The Oklahoma City Thunder shot out to a 96-117 win over the Chicago Bulls
100 POINTS!
Oklahoma City Thunder reach the 100-point mark. 84-100 win over the Bulls
END OF 3Q:
We go into the final quarter and the Oklahoma City Thunder go on to beat the Chicago Bulls by 91-82.
3Q - 02:00
Three points separate the teams. Oklahoma is winning 81-78.
3Q - 06:00
Thunder win by 4 points against Bulls: 73-69
3Q - 09:00
Oklahoma City Thunder win 65-64 against the Bulls.
HALFTIME!
The end of the first half and a 61-55 partial victory for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
2Q - 03:00
ALL THE SAME! Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder draw 48-48
2Q - 08:00
Chicago Bulls win second quarter by 2 points over Oklahoma City Thunder: 41-39
2Q - 10:00
We're past the first two minutes of the second quarter and the teams still haven't managed to score.
END OF 1Q:
Chicago Bulls turn it over in the last minute of the first quarter and go into the second period leading 35-33.
Q1 - 01:00
With a minute left in the first quarter, Oklahoma took a four-point lead over the Bulls: 31-27.
Q1 - 04:00
Oklahoma City Thunder still have the lead, but it's a slim one. A very even game so far: 23-21.
Q1 - 08:17
The game starts very evenly and the Oklahoma City Thunder go on to win 13-12.
START THE GAME!
Ball rolling for Chicago Bulls vs Oklahoma City Thunder
Bulls starter:
Coby White, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams e Nikola Vucevic
Bulls:
Contrary to what many expected, the Bulls kept the base of the last campaign. In 2022/23, the Chicago team disappointed. They finished only tenth in the East. In the play-in round, they fell to the Miami Heat. It's no exaggeration to say that coach Billy Donova is under pressure for the season.
In this way, the Illinois franchise seems to be in limbo. It's not strong enough to fight for the top of the conference, and not bad enough to be in a good position for the next draft. What's more, the rumors of a mid-season change of course will increase if things don't go well.
So the team has a lot to prove in 2023/24. Thus, led by the duo of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls hope to start the campaign with a win in front of their home crowd. A defeat, on the other hand, would increase the fans' distrust.
Thunder starter
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams e Chet Holmgren
Thunder:
The Thunder start the season surrounded by expectations. After all, the team has one of the best young cores in the NBA. The average age of the starting quintet is 22.6. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Oklahoma team will be hoping to start the campaign with an away win.
The team has a coach who knows how to work with youngsters. Mark Daigneault, in fact, has the full confidence of the franchise's management. He has already shown that he can develop talent. In his hands, Shai has become one of the NBA's stars.
Above all, the Thunder showed clear signs of evolution in the last campaign. The icing on the cake could be rookie Chet Holmgren. The franchise's rebuilding process has reached a crucial point. In other words, now is the time to aim for a place in the playoffs. The team was already competitive in 2022/23. But now the expectation is to move up a level.
Last meeting
13/01/23: Oklahoma City Thunder 124-110 Chicago Bulls
Matches this season
25/10/23: Oklahoma City Thunder v Chicago Bulls - 21h
22/11/23: Chicago Bulls vs Oklahoma City Thunder - 22h
In the current season...
For the current season, Chet Holmgren will make his long-awaited debut as the team's point guard. Other reinforcements include Vasilije Micic (Euroleague MVP), Davis Bertans (ex-Mavericks), Cason Wallace (pick 10 in the 2023 draft) and Keyontae Johnson (pick 50). On the other hand, Dario Saric, Rudy Gay, TyTy Washington, Usman Garuba, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Victor Oladipo left.
For this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder will need to take a new step in their rebuilding. Mark Daigneault, the team's coach, has already shown that he is capable of taking the team to the post-season, and that is the franchise's main objective.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Last season, Oklahoma's promising squad hit the crossbar and ended up eliminated in the play-in, showing an incredible evolution of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as an elite scorer and Josh Giddey as a fine two-way playmaker. In addition to the two, Lugentz Dort and Jalen Williams also showed important promise.
Chicago Bulls squad:
Henri Drell, Adama Sanogo, Max Heidegger, Onuralp Bitim, Julian Phillips, Coby White, Torrey Craig, Lonzo Ball, A. Drummond, Jevon Carter, Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vusevic, D. DeRozan, Ayo Dosunmu, Carlik Jones, Dalen Terry, Quenton Jackson, Terry Taylor, Justin Lewis e P. Williams
Chicago Bulls
Out of the playoffs last season, the Chicago Bulls are looking to return to the post-season. In the market, the team hasn't moved as much as expected. The team has players who can lead the franchise into the second half of the season, such as Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic
1 HOUR!
One hour to go until the ball rolls for Chicago Bulls vs Oklahoma City Thunder
When is Chicago Bulls vs Oklahoma City Thunder and how to follow LIVE?
Competition: NBA
Venue: United Center in Chicago, Illinois
Time: 9pm
Where to watch: NBA League Pass (streaming)
Live coverage: VAVEL Brazil
How and where to watch Chicago Bulls vs Oklahoma City Thunder commentarying
In addition to coverage here on VAVEL Brasil, the match between Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder will be broadcast on NBA League Pass.
Divisions
In addition to this division based on East and West, today's NBA predictions must also take into account the divisions. The league's divisions and their respective schedules are as follows:
- Atlantic: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors.
- Central: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks.
- Southeast: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards.
- Northwest: Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz.
- Pacific: Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings.
- Southwest: Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs.
At last season's Play-in!
Two teams that reached the play-in tournament in their respective conferences only to fall short of the actual playoff field open their 2023-24 regular season with a showdown against each other in the Windy City. The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the road as they travel to face the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. Oklahoma City finished last season with a 40-42 record and finished 10th in the Western Conference: they beat New Orleans in game 9/10 of the play-in tournament, but lost 120-95 to Minnesota with the 8th seed on the line. Chicago found themselves in a similar situation, only in the Eastern Conference, finishing 40-42 and 10th in the conference standings. The Bulls beat the Raptors 109-105 in the 9/10 play-in game before losing 102-91 to Miami at the end of the season.
In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Thunder hold a narrow 78-77 advantage and won both meetings last season. That includes a 124-110 away win in the most recent meeting on January 13, 2023.
DeMar DeRozan
Chicago the Florida team has its own core in swingman DeMar DeRozan, a six-time All-Star, point guard Zach LaVine, a two-time All-Star, and big man Nikola Vucevic, a two-time All-Star.
DeRozan ranks seventh among active players with 21,685 points, LaVine set the Chicago single-season record for 3-point shots (204) for the second consecutive season and Vucevic recorded 51 double-doubles to become the fourth player in franchise history with 50 or more in a season.
The trio are starting their third season together, and Vucevic sees the window closing for a title run.
Chet Holmgren
Chet Holmgren will make his NBA debut a year later than expected when the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night in each team's season opener.
Holmgren, who is 6'7", was the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft before suffering a Lisfranc injury to his right foot 14 months ago in a professional game and then undergoing season-ending surgery.
Now, the Thunder are counting on the former Gonzaga star to help them climb the standings.
"He's progressed very well," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said last week. "That starts with the fact that he's worked very hard to get back to this point with rehab, with great discipline. I give him a lot of credit for that, so I'm happy for him that he's competing again and that he got through it."
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder had the same campaign as the Bulls last season, with 40 wins and 42 losses and the same tenth place, only in the West. Their play-in campaign also lasted until the eighth seed, when they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-95. Before that, they had beaten the New Orleans Pelicans.
The team's roster suffered almost no losses compared to last season. Only Jared Butler and Dario Saric left. On the other hand, Davis Bertans, Victor Oladipo, Jack White and Vasilije Micic (two-time EuroLeague MVP) arrived, as well as freshmen Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson, drafted this year. They join a young Thunder squad led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and featuring the likes of Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort, among others.
But the biggest expectation for the Mark Daigneault-coached franchise is how Chet Holmgren will perform. After all, the second pick of the 2022 Draft missed all of last season and he enters 2023/24 as one of the top freshman names of the year.
With such young and promising players, Oklahoma is looking forward to another season of progress, in search of a direct playoff berth.
Chicago Bulls
In the 2022/23 season, the Chicago Bulls finished in tenth place in the East with 40 wins and 42 defeats, and were in with a chance of reaching the play-offs. In the first round, they beat the Toronto Raptors. However, in the decider for the eighth seed, the Bulls were beaten 102-91 by the Miami Heat.
With few changes to their roster, the team mainly signed Jevon Carter and Torrey Craig, who were with the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, respectively. The arrival of the two seeks to increase the depth of the squad and improve their three-ball shooting. Freshmen Onuralp Bitim, Adama Sanogo and Julian Phillips also arrived. While Patrick Beverley, Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr. and Marko Simonovic have left.
The great hopes of the team coached by Billy Donovan still revolve around the trio Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, since Lonzo Ball (still injured) will hardly be seen on the court in 2023/24.
Keeping an eye on the game
Chicago Bulls vs. Oklahoma City Thunder live NBA action on Wednesday (25) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, at 9 p.m. ET. This is one of the most evenly matched games of the first round, mainly due to the fact that the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder had the same campaign in the last regular season. However, taking into account the five most recent meetings between the two, the SDA recommends that Chicago win this match. Looking at the number of points in the duels between the Bulls and Thunder, as well as their recent performances in the preseason, SDA's alternative guess for this game is in the over-under market, at 221.5.
Welcome to the Chicago Bulls vs Oklahoma City Thunder commentary
Hello, basketball fans! It's now time for a decisive NBA match between two teams: the Chicago Bulls on one side. On the other side is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Follow all the action between the teams here, in real time on VAVEL Brasil.