Bulls Thunder-struck in 106-95 opener loss
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Even after giving a solid effort for 45 minutes in Wednesday's season opener at Oklahoma City, the Bulls had some explaining to do.
They were outscored at the foul line 38-13 and beaten 13-4 over the final 3:09 of the contest. What could have been an impressive performance became a 106-95 loss to the Thunder.
Down the stretch, Oklahoma City utilized the familiar defense designed to stop Derrick Rose at all costs and the Bulls struggled for answers.
On several possessions, they were yelling and pointing, trying to coordinate some sort of cohesive play.
It didn't work out.
The Bulls scored just 13 points in the final quarter.
And what about all those free throws? New coach Tom Thibodeau has long been renowned for his defensive strategies, but this certainly wasn't what he had in mind.
“We have to play hard defensively without fouling,” Thibodeau said. “There were parts of the game where we played well defensively. We can't gift them points. There were times we just bailed them out reaching. We want to move our feet and play good body-position defense. We can do better and we will.”
Rose was brilliant at the beginning of the game, attacking the baskets with a wide variety of reverse layins. The only problem was he picked up his second foul at the 4:13 mark of the first quarter, then added 2 more quick fouls in the third.
“I haven't been in foul trouble like that, I think, since my rookie year against Andre Miller,” said Rose, who finished with 28 points. “I never want to be in that kind of trouble again where I have to sit out for a long time.”
The game was tied 82-82 after three quarters. The Bulls stayed close, but things started to go wrong in the fourth. Ronnie Brewer and Taj Gibson each missed a pair of free throws. Brewer couldn't finish a fastbreak lay in and Luol Deng was whistled for a questionable goaltending call.
Even with all the confusion on offense, the Bulls pulled within 93-91 after a Rose jumper with 3:27 remaining. Russell Westbrook (28 points) was fouled and hit 2 free throws on the other end and Oklahoma City was off and running. The game ended with a flurry of turnovers, fastbreak baskets and, of course, more free throws.
“The fourth quarter, that's got to be our best quarter,” Thibodeau said. “It's different in the fourth quarter. We have to recognize that. I thought we had some blown sets and I didn't like our pace in the fourth quarter.
“I thought we slowed down and then our execution you've got to cut hard, you have to screen better, you've got to make quick decisions in the fourth quarter and I don't think we did that.”
Thunder star Kevin Durant finished with 30 points, but hit just 9 of 24 shots. Bulls center Joakim Noah piled up 18 points and 19 rebounds.
Obviously, the Bulls weren't at their best to begin with. Not only is forward Carlos Boozer out with a broken hand, the Bulls added eight new players and changed the coaching staff. The Thunder has the same lineup it used all of last season.
“It's a long season and we've got a lot to work on,” Bulls forward Luol Deng said. “For three quarters, we were happy with the way we played. In the fourth quarter, we've got to have a better concentration on running the plays.”
Mike McGraw's game tracker
<B>Thunder 106, Bulls 95</b>
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<B>A screeching halt: </B>The Bulls' offense functioned well until they hit 6 of 24 shots and scored just 13 points in the fourth quarter. The game was close until the final three minutes.<BR>
<B>Foul flurry: </B>Oklahoma City spent most of the night at the foul line, going 38-for-47. “We have to play hard defensively without fouling,” said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.<BR>
<B>Inside job: </B>Two other highlights for the Bulls was the play of center Joakim Noah (18 points, 19 rebounds) and forward Taj Gibson (16 points, 11 boards). Kevin Durant scored 30 for the Thunder.<BR>