Oklahoma City Rallies Late, Drops Chicago

Originally Published: Jan 4, 2010 9:25 PM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

CHICAGO -- It was a late let down that cost the Thunder a win against the Milwaukee.

It was a second-half scoring surge that led Oklahoma City past the Chicago Bulls 98-85.

Russell Westbrook was the man offensively for the Thunder, leading all scorers with 29 points, dishing out seven assists and grabbing 7 rebounds.

Star forward Kevin Durant continued to show why he one of the league’s top talents. However, his 25-point night broke his streak of seven straight games with 30 or more points.

While, rookie guard James Harden did his part too, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the final 30 minutes, including nine from behind the three point line.

As a whole, the Thunder shot 48 percent on the night and 53 percent from behind the arc, which is a tell-tale sign pointing to why they had a 51-point second half.

Oklahoma City’s defense may have made the biggest impact, however, holding the Bulls to a meager 38 percent shooting, and muting Chicago’s biggest scoring threat, Derrick Rose.

Rose finished the night with 19 points, shooting 9 of 20 on the night, and riding a scoring drought that lasted 37-minutes and 41-seconds, including scoreless second and third quarters.

All of the Chicago starters ended the night in double-figures, but missed 64 shots against the Thunder, leading to their downfall.

Oklahoma City comes back to the Ford Center for a four game home stand, starting Jan. 6 against New Orleans.