"With Oklahoma City down two All-Stars in MVP point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams, it will fall to the third to pick up the scoring burden. Big man Chet Holmgren will likely be the fulcrum of the Thunder's offense, and should be able to go to town against a depleted Bulls front line that, even when healthy, isn't that great."
"Jared McCain has looked great with the Thunder so far. He was cast off by Philadelphia at the trade deadline, and has been averaging 11.8 points on .477/.429/.889 shooting splits, plus 2.9 rebounds, 0.9 dimes and 0.6 swipes a night in 19.4 minutes."
"McCain is the exact kind of 'second draft' young piece on his rookie scale contract that the Bulls also targeted at the trade deadline. But their two new 'second draft' pieces, Rob Dillingham and Jaden Ivey, haven't looked nearly as good - or, in the case of Ivey, nearly as healthy."
The Chicago Bulls attempt to build momentum following a dominant 120-97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks by facing the Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA's best team. Despite being heavy underdogs at 9.5 points, the Bulls have a slight advantage as Oklahoma City is missing two All-Stars: MVP point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and All-NBA swingman Jalen Williams. This forces the Thunder's third scoring option, Chet Holmgren, to carry increased offensive responsibility against Chicago's depleted frontcourt. Jared McCain, acquired by Oklahoma City at the trade deadline, has impressed with strong shooting splits and efficient play. The Bulls' own trade deadline acquisitions, Rob Dillingham and Jaden Ivey, have underperformed compared to McCain's contributions.
#nba-game-preview #chicago-bulls-vs-oklahoma-city-thunder #injury-report #trade-deadline-impact #betting-lines
Read at Bleacher Nation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]