Thunder torch the defense in 1st half while Zach LaVine’s shot is off in 124-110 loss

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls couldn’t pick up the slack in their second straight game without DeMar DeRozan, crumbling under the Oklahoma City Thunder’s offensive pressure in a 124-110 loss that extended their skid to three games.

Before the game, coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls don’t consider DeRozan’s right quadriceps strain to be “serious” but the team also is wary of worsening the injury by rushing DeRozan back.

DeRozan was unable to bring the Bulls into sync, and they struggled to find a rhythm in their offense. The Bulls played this game for the eighth time without DeRozan since his signing with them in 2021-22.

The lows

— The Thunder arrived in Chicago on a hot streak after winning four of their previous six games with the NBA’s highest offensive rating (123.3) during that span. The Thunder continued this trend in the second half Friday. They closed the half with an 18-6 win over the final 4 minutes 35 and cut down the Bulls in transition. The Bulls allowed 72 points, a record for the season. Thunder shot 53.5% from field and led by 18.

— After cutting that deficit to one point with a third-quarter surge, the Bulls couldn’t maintain that momentum into the fourth. The Thunder opened the quarter by opening with a 13-4 run, punctuated by back to back turnovers by Bulls.

— After averaging 30.2 points in the first six games of 2023, Zach LaVine’s shooting evaporated against the Thunder. LaVine shot 5 for 19 from field, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range. LaVine also scored 14 points at the free throw line. Without DeRozan, the Bulls were already struggling to keep up their offensive pace. Without LaVine’s typical output, their offense had no chance of keeping up with the Thunder.

The highest

— Despite recent third-quarter implosions, the Bulls flipped the script on the Thunder after halftime, outscoring them 32-19 in the third. They closed the quarter on an 18-5 run over the final 6:46, sparked by Nikola Vučević and Patrick Williams. Alex Caruso’s 3-pointer with 56.6 seconds left cut the Thunder lead to 91-90.

— Coby White brought a much-needed spark to the offense off the bench, scoring 19 points buoyed by 4-for-9 3-point shooting. His offensive energy helped to draw the Bulls close in the third quarter. He also contributed six assists, which was a team record.

Stat of the Game

The Bulls attempted to combat the Thunder’s hot scoring by opening up from the 3-point line themselves. While the Bulls struggled to create around the rim throughout the first half — often flailing out of control in their attempts to attack the rim in transition — they found more success behind the arc.

The Bulls scored 12 3-pointers during the first quarter and 38 throughout the entire game. Yet despite this increased volume, the Bulls barely outscored the Thunder from 3-point range, going 12 for 38 (31.6%) to the Thunder’s 11 for 33 (33.3%).

Notification

Donovan stated that defensive leader Caruso came to the locker room at halftime, and took responsibility for not protecting his one-on-1 matchups as well. Caruso also asked his teammates for more defense in the second period.

That defense kept the Thunder at bay in the third quarter. They were held to just 19 points, compared with 39 for the second. The defense’s rigor soon faded in fourth quarter.

“It’s the NBA,” Caruso said. “The best defensive team in the league gives up 110 points a night, so people are going to score. It’s just about not giving up everything. We can’t give up paint, free throws and 3s.

“We just weren’t consistent enough. That’s kind of been our downfall. … The games where we don’t play at our best is when we’re inconsistent. We have good spurts throughout the game but not a full, concentrated 40 minutes.”

Injury report

DeRozan was not the only one missing from the Bulls’ lineup. JavonteGreen, a forward for the Bulls, also had to undergo an arthroscopic procedure Wednesday following sustaining a deep bone bruise on his right knee in December.

They are where they are

The Bulls were beaten by the Eastern Conference’s 19-24 team and fell to 11th.

Next

The Bulls will host Golden State Warriors at 2:20 p.m. on Sunday. They then travel to Paris to face Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.