Thunder In Chicago For Matchup With Bulls

<p>A difficult month of January continues for the Thunder as it hits the road again for a matchup with the Bulls inside the United Center in Chicago.&nbsp;</p>

Monday, January 9th 2017, 4:22 pm

By: Brett Coppenbarger


A difficult month of January continues for the Thunder as it hits the road again for a matchup with the Bulls inside the United Center in Chicago.

Related: Thunder Snap Losing Streak With Big Win Over Nuggets

Here are a few things to know about the matchup:

Butler questionable play

Bulls’ guard Jimmy Butler may be one of the hottest players in the entire NBA right now, but it looks like he’s questionable to play on Monday night against the Thunder due to illness.

Butler scored 42 points in the Bulls’ most recent win over Toronto after dropping 52 points earlier in the week against the Hornets. Butler performed at such a high level that he was just named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

If Butler decides not to play, it would be a huge break for the Thunder on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Butler is considered one of the better perimeter defenders in the league and would most likely be assigned the task of slowing down Russell Westbrook on that end of the floor.

Bulls are rolling

Chicago may not be the best team in the Eastern Conference, but they sure do know how to perform at a high level against the good teams.

The Bulls are riding a three-game winning streak, while Chicago is 2-0 against the LeBron James and the Cavaliers this season and has a win over the San Antonio Spurs.

With Butler averaging 25.6 points per game along with Dwayne Wade’s 18.6, the Bulls definitely have the talent to win on a nightly basis in the NBA, but Butler’s status come game time will go a long way in determining how this matchup will play out.

Another triple-double streak?

After racking up 32 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists in OKC’s big win over Denver on Sunday, Westbrook tallied his 17th triple-double of the season, just one less than he totaled all last year.

With Westbrook’s relentless style of play and extreme talent, it’s almost expected that he’ll at least get close to recording a triple-double anytime he dribbles a basketball. Therefore, it wouldn’t be smart to bet against Westbrook starting another triple-double streak against the Bulls. 

Butler scored 42 points in the Bulls’ most recent win over Toronto after dropping 52 points earlier in the week against the Hornets. Butler performed at such a high level that he was just named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

Jimmy Butler's PER in the fourth quarter/OT has risen to 35.8 thanks to his hot January start. MJ holds the Bulls' record at 32.9 in 1996-97

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 9, 2017

If Butler decides not to play, it would be a huge break for the Thunder on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Butler is considered one of the better perimeter defenders in the league and would most likely be assigned the task of slowing down Russell Westbrook on that end of the floor.

Bulls are rolling

Chicago may not be the best team in the Eastern Conference, but they sure do know how to perform at a high level against the good teams.

The Bulls are riding a three-game winning streak, while Chicago is 2-0 against the LeBron James and the Cavaliers this season and has a win over the San Antonio Spurs.

With Butler averaging 25.6 points per game along with Dwayne Wade’s 18.6, the Bulls definitely have the talent to win on a nightly basis in the NBA, but Butler’s status come game time will go a long way in determining how this matchup will play out.

Another triple-double streak?

After racking up 32 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists in OKC’s big win over Denver on Sunday, Westbrook tallied his 17th triple-double of the season, just one less than he totaled all last year.

Russell Westbrook: 1st player with 10 30-point triple-doubles in a season since Michael Jordan, 1988-89 Bulls (via @eliassports)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 8, 2017

With Westbrook’s relentless style of play and extreme talent, it’s almost expected that he’ll at least get close to recording a triple-double anytime he dribbles a basketball. Therefore, it wouldn’t be smart to bet against Westbrook starting another triple-double streak against the Bulls. 

","published":"2017-01-09T22:22:45.000Z","updated":"2017-01-09T22:26:15.000Z","summary":"

A difficult month of January continues for the Thunder as it hits the road again for a matchup with the Bulls inside the United Center in Chicago. 

","affiliate":{"_id":"5cc353fe1c9d440000d3b70f","callSign":"kwtv","origin":"https://www.news9.com"},"contentClass":"sports_nba","createdAt":"2020-01-31T22:10:16.080Z","updatedAt":"2022-03-30T22:22:04.969Z","__v":2,"show":true,"link":"/story/5e34a5c8527dcf49dad87286/thunder-in-chicago-for-matchup-with-bulls","hasSchedule":false,"id":"5e34a5c8527dcf49dad87286"};
logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News on 6 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

January 9th, 2017

March 14th, 2024

December 4th, 2023

September 25th, 2023

Top Headlines

March 28th, 2024

March 28th, 2024

March 27th, 2024

March 27th, 2024