The Thunder took care of business against a shorthanded Mavericks squad, and the reigning champs now travel to face Josh Giddey and the Bulls. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Ajay Mitchell and Nikola Topić are all out. It’s the first night of a back-to-back with New York being the second leg, so Gilgeous-Alexander and Hartenstein are merely managing their injuries. 

Here are three key matchups for this matchup between the Thunder and Bulls. 

The Bulls surrendered the most restricted area attempts per game before the trade deadline according to NBA.com, and it has been even worse in this department since stripping the roster. Opponents get to the rim with ease because Chicago lacks quality point-of-attack defenders and impactful rim protectors. 

Oklahoma City is typically well-positioned to exploit this weakness. Gilgeous-Alexander remains the best player in the league at getting downhill and attacking the paint. Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren are also notable lob threats, and the Thunder’s offense ranks 11th in points per game via cuts. However, injuries change the landscape of this game. Can a shorthanded Oklahoma City squad still generate plenty of rim pressure? 

Jalen Smith missing the contest with a calf injury is noteworthy. He’s the best rim protector on the roster and does a decent job of defending in space. 

Overall, this matchup likely gets out of hand if Oklahoma City feasts around the basket. It will be up to Guerschon Yabusele, Nick Richards and Matas Buzelis to ensure that the Bulls offer some level of resistance at the rim. 

Chicago’s offense struggles to score in the half court, but it ranks second across the association in transition points per game. 

Giddey leads the charge in terms of creating transition opportunities, and Buzelis is his most dangerous weapon due to his size and athleticism. Stopping this duo from running the court is a key goal for Mark Daigneault and the coaching staff. 

Unfortunately for the Bulls, Oklahoma City’s defense allows the fewest transition points per game. It’s extremely difficult to beat the Thunder’s athletes down the court, especially since its offense snuffs out potential opportunities by scoring the basketball at a high rate. 

Should the Bulls not win the transition battle convincingly, then it’s difficult to envision its offense being productive. 

Sexton was having a nice season off the bench for Charlotte, but the team sent him to Chicago at the trade deadline. The former eighth overall pick is capable of providing a scoring punch to the Bulls’ offense on any given night, especially from beyond the arc. 

He’s coming off a 22-point performance against Milwaukee, so Sexton has momentum entering this matchup. Will the veteran be able to thrive against Oklahoma City’s elite perimeter defense, though? Chicago needs this answer to be in the affirmative in order to be somewhat competent during the non-Giddey minutes.