Thunder beat Bulls 116-108 without Gilgeous-Alexander as Yabusele shines with season-high performance

The Oklahoma City Thunder maintained their Western Conference dominance with a 116-108 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night, improving to 48-15 despite resting MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander due to an abdominal strain. The defending NBA champions showed their depth as multiple players stepped up in the absence of their superstar.

Jared McCain led the Thunder with 20 points, including four crucial 3-points, while Isaiah Joe contributed 19 points. Aaron Wiggins added 18 points, and Jaylin Williams dominated the paint with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Cason Wallace chipped in 17 points, and Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

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For Chicago, Guerschon Yabusele delivered a season-high 18 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double in 11 games since arriving via trade deadline deal with New York. The 6-foot-8, 283-pound Frenchman made four 3-points and was particularly aggressive in the first half, scoring 15 points and grabbing 8 rebounds while keeping the Bulls within striking distance.

Guerschon YABUSELE

18

PTS

12

REB

2

PDE

CHI

108 116

OKC

Collin Sexton added 20 points for Chicago, including a late 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 112-106 in the closing minute. Josh Giddey narrowly missed his ninth triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, while Matas Buzelis contributed 11 points before rolling his right ankle when he stepped on Williams’ foot near the end of the third quarter and did not return.

The game’s turning point came early in the third quarter when the Thunder trailed 60-59. Holmgren sparked a decisive 14-3 run with a dunk, and Oklahoma City never looked back. The Thunder outscored Chicago 8-2 over the final three minutes of the quarter, including a 3-pointer by McCain, to take a commanding 87-76 lead into the fourth quarter.

Despite the loss, the Bulls showed fight after snapping an 11-game losing streak with a victory over Milwaukee on Sunday. However, injuries to both Giddey and Buzelis with ankle sprains made their task even more difficult in the final period. The Thunder will next visit New York on Wednesday night, while the Bulls travel to Phoenix on Thursday night.