Slow start dooms Chicago Bulls in OKC, but they find a scorer
There were so many moral victories for the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, there may not be enough space to mention them all.
After scoring a franchise-record low 7 points in the first quarter, the Bulls outscored the Thunder the rest of the way.
The Bulls lost 92-79 at Chesapeake Energy Arena, a huge improvement from their 32-point loss to OKC on Oct. 28 at the United Center.
In all seriousness, this game was never close and it was just another rough night on the rebuilding road. The Bulls were missing guard Justin Holiday, who stayed home after his wife gave birth to the couple's first child.
So coach Fred Hoiberg experimented with some new starters. He used point guards Kris Dunn and Jerian Grant together in the backcourt, and gave veteran Quincy Pondexter his first start at small forward.
The results were poor, to say the least. The Bulls trailed 27-7 at the end of the first quarter after shooting 2-for-16 from the field. The Bulls' franchise record for fewest points in a quarter is 6, set in 1993 and 2001, but neither of those happened in the first quarter.
"You're not giving yourself a chance when you come out of the gate like that and are careless and sloppy," Hoiberg told reporters after the game.
Dunn, Grant and Pondexter combined to hit 2 of 20 shots, with Dunn going 1-for-11 in his initial Bulls start. To start the second half, Hoiberg used Denzel Valentine (13 points) in place of Grant.
"It's become a theme with our team, when our shots aren't falling or we're turning it over, we hang our heads," Hoiberg said.
There were some bright spots. With Holiday out, the Bulls brought two-way player Antonio Blakeney along for the trip and he scored 16 points in 22 minutes.
Rookie Lauri Markkanen also scored 16, shaking off a sprained ankle suffered Saturday against the Spurs, then a hard fall onto his back in the third quarter of this game.
Blakeney has played in two games for the Windy City Bulls and scored a combined 79 points. Hoiberg said after the game he plans to keep the 6-foot-4 rookie from LSU in the big-league rotation.
"Blakeney showed some real signs of a guy who can go out and put the ball in the basket, which obviously we need in a big way right now," Hoiberg said. "He's a guy who can create his own shot. He can get to the basket.
"Antonio, for his first real NBA experience, I thought he really went out there and played hard and showed that he's a guy that will stay in the rotation for now."
Russell Westbrook led the Thunder (7-7) with 21 points and 7 assists. Carmelo Anthony added 18.
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