Chet Holmgren and OKC Thunder defeated the Bulls in Alex Caruso's return to Chicago

CHICAGO — Billy Donovan alluded to the Bulls' loss on Saturday night hours before it happened.

Watch the ball, he said. He warned that OKC thrives on making offenses so uncomfortable that they can throw the ball away.

But Chicago's fate was decided.

The Thunder, perhaps the most annoying, annoying and skilled team in the NBA, defeated the Bulls with a 114-95 road win. Donovan's fears quickly unfolded.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Thunder had forced 21 turnovers. The Bulls finished the game with 26 turnovers.

The Thunder's guards circling the Bulls' ball handlers made a moment of calm seem rare. There were many more moments when they were rushed, baited or simply deprived of the ball and will.

Among the most ridiculous? Not even two minutes into the second half, Cason Wallace tracked down Nikola Vucevic's incoming attempt before attempting a steal and a quick shot.

Among the most memorable? The lane steals, the punted balls, the shots from behind began to mix together.

“It’s fun to watch,” guard Alex Caruso said. “Usually teams have one or two people who do that and I'm usually one of those two people. But this team is full of guys who just love playing defense. … When you see guys play like that, it makes it easier to have good energy and play hard.”

The Thunder's gaudy numbers deserve some context; The Bulls had 21 turnovers in their season opener in New Orleans. Chicago is not absolved of the accusation of being a team that can't keep the ball. But after shooting 8-for-40 from distance in the first two games and going 16-for-76 from there, the Thunder's defensive activity became a legitimate lifeline.

Any questionable offense didn't matter. Not the atypical scoring in the first half, which included unrecognizable fastbreaks and paint hits. Or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (23 points, eight rebounds), testing his new pull-up 3 game midway through the game and going 2-for-9 from deep, his third-most 3-point attempts in a game of his career.

If the Thunder is based on the charismatic spewing of platitudes and clichés, let him say with a smile, “The best offense is a good defense.” OKC appears to have a great defense, and its offense has the depth to which needs to be clarified later.

Giddey & Thunder reunited

Josh Giddey's reunion with the Thunder hardly exuded the same vibe as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen's meeting with Toni Kukoc at the 1992 Olympics. There was no blood in the water. OKC wasn't targeting him. Giddey posed for a photo with most of his former teammates as soon as the final buzzer sounded.

If anything, the Thunder gave Giddey more respect on defense than most teams did a season ago. They played him closely as a ball handler and didn't often stray far from his line of sight as he approached the 3-point line. Nothing obnoxious. Nothing compares to the way teams defended him last year.

He finished Saturday's game with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists on a team-high 14 shots.

And for the young Thunder, the most notable casualty of his rise to contention still holds a near and dear place in his heart.

“I think you can get into what this is about,” said center Chet Holmgren, “because it's a business, and it's an extremely serious business.” But you can't let the relationships you build with people along the way Don't lose sight of those you know.

“I don’t think anyone has ever played with the same 15, 17 people their entire career. This is how the league works. People and teams need to do what is best for their business. And you can't blame anyone for that. When you go out and compete against guys you know and really like, you still enjoy it.”

The season is young, and so is Holmgren. But after two games, the 2.10 meter tall player appears to be almost free of any youthful shackles.

He plucks rebounds like a Venus flytrap, grabbing a career-best 16 rebounds on Saturday just two days after collecting 14 rebounds in Denver.

He scores differently, stretching his elastic limbs for putbacks and alley-oops en route to 21 points Saturday.

His added muscle was evident as he pushed his way to eight free throw attempts, a third game with as many attempts this season, including the previous season; In his rookie season, Holmgren only had eight games in which he attempted eight or more free throws.

His defense remains the same, he still blocks shots he can get to (most) and alters shots near him (virtually all). His helpside block in the second half on Saturday looked like he hit a fly.

Sure, Holmgren may have shaped his image by growing up with the idea of Kevin Durant. But as a sophomore, he walks the line between mythical forward and revered big man. A man capable of not only making an impact around the basket, but also making a living there.

The Rim Reaper, if you will.

After a year of being forced into troubling situations without another real focal point to support him, Holmgren's evolution is evident. And even in a similar situation where Isaiah Hartenstein is out for several weeks, Holmgren seems unfazed and bounces back with the freedom as if Hartenstein had been present.

Holmgren constantly promotes the idea that progress is not linear. While objectively true, this is essentially how his growth in the NBA has been. As of now, the uptrend will end when it sees fit.

“He controls his destiny,” Caruso said of Holmgren. “Whatever he wants to achieve in this league, he has it in front of him. He has the work ethic, he has the competitiveness. If you have the ability to get better, the desire to get better and the work ethic to get better – if you have those things, you can control your own destiny in the NBA.”

More: How Alex Caruso lives up to his reputation with OKC Thunder: “His fingerprints are on everything”

Thunder vs Bulls live score updates

More: OKC Thunder are “far superior” to the Denver Nuggets and other quick thoughts on the NBA season opener

What time is Thunder vs Bulls?

Date: Saturday, October 26th
Time: 7pm CT
Where: United Center in Chicago

More: OKC Thunder vs Chicago Bulls: Prediction, tips, injury updates and odds

What channel is OKC Thunder vs Chicago Bulls on today?

TV: FanDuel Sports Network
How to watch online: Fubo (free trial)
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM

More: OKC Thunder Predictions: Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Co. Win the NBA Title in 2024-25?

Thunder vs Bulls odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, October 25th

Opportunities: Thunder at 9.5

Over/Under: 229.5

Money line: OKC-450 | Chicago +333

More: How the OKC Thunder's roster was constructed to protect the King: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

OKC Thunder roster

Alex Caruso, PG
Ousmane Dieng, SF
Luguentz Dort, SG
Alex Ducas, SG *
Adam Flagler, PG
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, SG
Isaiah Hartenstein, C
Chet Holmgren, PF
Isaiah Joe, SG
Dillon Jones, SF
Ajay Mitchell, SG *
Alex Reese, PF
Nikola Topić, PG
Cason Wallace, SG
Aaron Wiggins, SG
Jalen Williams, SG
Jaylin Williams, PF
Kenrich Williams, PF

*-Two-way contract

More: What will the new OKC Thunder arena look like? Why architect David Manica isn't sure yet

OKC Thunder schedule

Oct 24: Thunder 102, Nuggets 87

Oct. 26: in Chicago, 7 p.m

Oct. 27: Atlanta, 6 p.m

Oct. 30: San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

November 1st: in Portland, 9 p.m

November 2nd: at LA Clippers, 9:30 p.m

More: Bold OKC Thunder predictions: What will Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander do?

Thunder vs Bulls highlights

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Chet Holmgren and OKC Thunder defeated the Bulls in Alex Caruso's return to Chicago

ByVanessa

Giddey & Thunder reunited

Thunder vs Bulls live score updates

What time is Thunder vs Bulls?

What channel is OKC Thunder vs Chicago Bulls on today?

Thunder vs Bulls odds

OKC Thunder roster

OKC Thunder schedule

Thunder vs Bulls highlights

By Vanessa

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