Bulls rally for win over Thunder
Bulls fans who have been around long enough can accurately say they've seen better streaks than Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook's four consecutive triple-doubles.
Michael Jordan collected seven straight triple-doubles late in the 1988-89 season. After his streak was stopped (by Detroit, of course), Jordan tacked on three more for 10 triple-doubles in 11 games.
To be fair, Jordan didn't do any of that, as far as we know, with a facial fracture. Westbrook wore a clear mask Thursday night at the United Center to protect a broken bone above his right cheek. The injury happened last Friday in Portland when he was accidentally kneed by a teammate.
Westbrook was brilliant Thursday, but his triple-double streak came to an end when he finished with 43 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.
An unlikely hero stepped up for the Bulls. E'Twaun Moore grabbed the postgame interview with Craig Sager in the TNT broadcaster's first game back on the sideline after 11 months off to receive cancer treatment.
"I would have to say that was my best game-winner," Moore said. "I couldn't deny that."
Moore drained a 3-pointer with Westbrook in his face and 2.1 seconds on the clock to give the Bulls a thrilling 108-105 victory over the Thunder. The Bulls trailed by 9 points with 5:11 remaining.
The Bulls (39-23) were down by 1 when Moore connected. After a quick double-team caused Westbrook to step out of bounds, Nikola Mirotic added a free throw with 0.2 seconds on the clock to provide the final margin.
Mirotic led the Bulls in scoring for the third straight game. He finished with 26 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter.
Mirotic knocked down 2 free throws to bring the Bulls within 105-104 with 28.9 seconds left, then added a nice defensive play. After switching onto Westbrook, the 6-foot-10 Mirotic used his long arms to force a 20-foot airball and the shot clock expired before Nick Collison could put in the offensive rebound.
So the Bulls had a chance with 4.9 seconds left. They threw it into Gasol in the post, who quickly redirected his pass to Moore, who confidently drained the 3-pointer.
"There are several options on that play," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "You have to read the defense, then you have to trust the playmaking of the players that get the ball. Pau, I thought, made a great read on that, because the defense collapsed. A lot of guys probably would have shot that, but he had the presence of mind to hit the open man and trust the pass."
Moore is a soft-spoken native of East Chicago, Indiana, who starred at Purdue. He hadn't played much recently until Derrick Rose's latest knee injury. Moore got an extended run Thursday because he did a nice job, all things considered, guarding Westbrook.
Moore scored 19 points against the Thunder, hitting an amazing 9 of 10 shots from the field. Gasol and Mike Dunleavy added 21 points each for the Bulls, who won their second straight game playing without Rose, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson.
Oklahoma City (34-28) played without last year's MVP, Kevin Durant. He's out indefinitely with a sore foot.