Oklahoma City Thunder vs Chicago Bulls Preview as Both Teams Fight for Playoff Spot
The Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to the United Center to face the Chicago Bulls as the NBA regular season continues to roll.
Both teams are struggling with injuries, with the Bulls missing guards Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, while the Thunder are without reigning MVP Kevin Durant.
And without their stars, both teams need wins each time they can get it to stay relevant in the playoff race.
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As of the moment, the Bulls are in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race, while the Thunder are trying to secure their eight seed as they fend off rivals New Orleans Pelicans and the Phoenix Suns.
Tom Thibodeau's men have alternated wins and losses in their last five games. They recently beat the Washington Wizards 97-92 behind impressive performances from Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol.
Mirotic scored 23 points on the night, shooting 3-of-7 from beyond the three-point arc. He also pulled down eight rebounds.
The veteran Gasol had 20 points to help the team, shooting 8-of-11 for the night. He also had a double-double as he grabbed 10 rebounds.
As for the Thunder, they are on a two-game win streak. Russell Westbrook missed out on their 108-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers but returned to face the Philadelphia 76ers.
The star guard notched his fourth consecutive triple double in the 123-118 overtime victory, scoring a career-high 49 points, while grabbing 16 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists.
Dion Waiters provided some help on the offensive end, with 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
This will be the first meeting between the Bulls and Thunder; with the latter winning their last two contests during the previous season.
After this meeting in Illinois, both teams are set to clash again in 10 days at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
For a play-by-play of this contest, visit NBA.com, and for a live stream, click here.
