vs. 
Bulls (32-23, 17-10 road) vs. Thunder (40-15, 24-4 home)
TV: ESPN (Cox 29, HD 720); FSOK (Cox 37, HD 722, Tulsa Cox 27, DirectTV 679, UVerse 754)
Stream: Click here
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 97.1 FM Tulsa)
Time: 8:30 CT
Offensive Rating: Thunder – 112.7 (1st), Bulls– 103.4 (21st)
Defensive Rating: Thunder – 103.5 (8th), Bulls – 101.3 (4th)
Pace: Thunder – 93.8 (8th), Bulls – 89.2 (27th)
View from the enemy: By The Horns
The Thunder have struggled defensively the last four games. The last four, OKC’s allowed more than 105 points in all of them. So here’s a good remedy: Play the Bulls, a team ranked 24th in offense at 100.4 points per 100.
This game is against a good team, but I also see it as important in sort of kickstarting a strong finishing run. The three-game skid can just be a mid-season lull, but the Thunder have been a little inconsistent over their last 20. With the win against Minnesota, the Thunder need to build on that and start ramping up for the postseason. It’s time to start finding that standard of performance. You don’t want to be up and down too much in March and then leading into April.
Note: No Ronnie Brewer tonight, but he will address the media pregame.
Chicago coming in: The Bulls spanked the Bobcats on Friday.
Three Big Things
1. Glass. The Bulls do a lot of damage on the offensive glass. They’re fourth in the league averaging 12.8 a game, and the Thunder ate 25th in allowing them, at 12.0 a game. So that’s going to be important. The Bulls aren’t great offensively, but they can survive on second chance points.
2. Russ. The Bulls don’t have an answer for Russell Westbrook. Kirk Hinrich is an average defender, but Westbrook physically outmatches anyone Chicago has. Luol Deng is at least built to guard Kevin Durant. There’s no one on the Chicago roster built to handle Westbrook.
3. Transition. The Bulls are difficult to break down in the halfcourt, but turning them over live and getting out on the break will be necessary. The Bulls can grind with the best of them, so anything easy is preferred.
Tip at 8:30 CT. Go Windier City.
http://dailythunder.com/2013/02/thunder-suffocate-the-bulls-102-72/
People over at Blazer's edge are liking Eric.
Reggie impressed me tonight. I think trading Maynor is going to help in his further development.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s5FtdsjEL8A#!
Westbrook dunk from tonight. Not great quality.
oh yeah, thanks a whole lot livefyre. up and working after the game.
Glad to finally see us get back to playing some better ball.
I saw Brewer having some laughs with KD and Russ on the bench. Good to see.
I feel like i owe everyone for my initial misdiagnosis of Mike Wilk's presence at the game with Presti and getting everyone all hot and bothered, only to leave you all with Blueballs.
There is a watch party April 5. If you come and mention you are from DT, I will buy you a drink refill. Location is yet undecided, likely in Lawton, possibly OKC
Well happy to see the Thunder win and a little disappointed Short Circuit 2 didn't win best picture. Can't win them all I guess. For those of you in the path of the real bad weather, Stay safe and Thunder up!
@sooner403 Los Locos kick your ass, los locos kick your face, los locos kick your balls into outer space...!
@[censored] @sooner403
What?! :)
@ThunderChick2010 @[censored] http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=POxMp61Ksbk
@[censored] @sooner403
All that stuck in my head was: Disassemble.
@[censored] @sooner403
Only saw the original . . .
@ThunderChick2010 @sooner403 It's from Short Circuit 2.
is it just me or does Stuart Scott get more annoying year by year?
@booles they probably feel obligated to keep him around since he got the eye accident while working for them
Chicago would have scored more, but nick covered the bulls basket in jello
nba .com headline went from "We're A-OKC" to "Struttin' Their Stuff". wonder where they got the latter from
we were good tonight.
@OBoy The bulls missed a lot of shots tonight. Also, Kevin Durant is tall.
DT Oscar Crawler.....Argo wins best picture despite Affleck being snubbed, Day-Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence, Christopher Waltz, Anne Hathaway all winners.........Quinton Tarantino wins best original screenplay for Django.......Ang Lee mild surprise as best director in Life of Pi.......three white guys who all looked like Edgar Winter won meaningless awards.....Renee Zeigweiler so drunk she could barely talk during Oscar presentation.
@El Prez
Hey, we won tonight! :)
@El Prez YESSS!!! When I saw those guys I immediately thought Edgar Winter!
Three of them almost in a row. We were just sitting there ...saying no way. What is it with the Edgar Winter look tonight?
@El Prez suprirsed at so much life of pi love.
It was a good movie. Not totally stunned on that one. Not totally stunned at any of it because there were about seven movies which were very good this year. Quinton Tarintino and Waltz winning for Django made the night sweet. I'd like to be partying with Renee Z just about now. That might be fun. Holy shit.....looked like she took a Qualude. I thought Queen Latifa was going to slap her around to snap her out of it.
@see-mittens @El Prez
Not surprised, just glad to see it.
Interesting to see lamb get minutes over liggins today
@Lost Ones they were both in
@Thunder, Love, & Basketball liggins came in after everyone else, his role has been diminished it looks like lately.
@Lost Ones @ICan'tGetNoSatisfaction They were in together at one point because Liggins tried to pass it to him on a fastbreak and it went off his legs
@ICan'tGetNoSatisfaction @Thunder, Love, & Basketball yup soon as he got them two techs he has been on a short leash for good reason. if lamb wasn't injured he probably would have gotten basic minutes as well.
@Lost Ones @Thunder, Love, & Basketball ever since he got that unnecessary tech he's been in Brook's dog house. Not to mention that he's unneeded now with Brewer coming in
I hope everyone knows KD got so many boards is because the Bulls missed so many shots...don't get your hopes up on him becoming some walking double double.
@Bryson I think the beginning of the season already showed that if Durant wants to focus on rebounding over other things he can easily be a walking double double.
livefyre down because academy award comments flooding in? and they decide to abandon us on game night?
@OohWeeItsVelvetHoop Argo wins!!
It was a very good movie. Very deserving. I still can't figure out how Affleck wasn't nominated and yet the same voters picked Argo. Great movie though.
Games like today and Friday make you see explicitly some of Perk's intangibles. Not that he did anything that great but there seems to just be better communication on offense and defense when Perk is playing. Not saying he deserves his contract or that he isn't an offensive black hole because he still is. It's just nice to not have a game end where I instantly want to trade the guy
@ICan'tGetNoSatisfaction He played well tonight. I criticize and give props when either are due
@ICan'tGetNoSatisfaction Perkins is for sure one of the more communicative defensive players on our team and the difference between him and, say, Thabeet in this capacity is night and day.
@ICan'tGetNoSatisfaction yea he was good today, he boxed out muscled rebounds shutdown noah. barked calls etcf
I hope Reggie can acquire a jump shot or shoot like he did his last year of college at some point. I feel that's going to be the difference between him being an okay backup and a super-sub combo guard.
@[censored] They need to get him working with whoever Thabo spent time with this summer
@[censored] we just want okay guard who's a better 3 point shooter until we resign him for cheap. Then he can go all super combo guard awesome mode ;)
@[censored] Dont want him getting to good calm down. if he can hit a 3 we will be fine
@Lost Ones If he can make three pointers he will be a great bench player. He beats his man so easily with his dribble as it is.
so did livefyre break about the time russ did his dunk earlier? seems like it
@Legendary_Dork livefyre trash need to get rid of this garbage.