Bulls-Thunder: Three Takeaways From a Bounce-Back Showing

Nov 3, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Chicago Bulls forward center Joakim Noah (13) warms up before the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

2. Joakim Noah looked like the pre-knee surgery Joakim Noah

With Joakim Noah, it’s not about points per game. You measure Joakim Noah with his activity and intensity. On Thursday night, there was plenty of both from Noah. Not only did Noah crack the 20-minute barrier again (25:57), he grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

Do you want to guess who had the highest plus-minus of the night for the Bulls? If you answered “Joakim Noah”, you win! Noah had a plus-minus of +16 and it’s telling to the kind of game he had. He was active on both ends of the floor, especially on the offensive glass. That was one of the many pluses for the Bulls.

To feed off of Noah’s success, Taj Gibson had the second-highest plus-minus with a +14 against the Thunder in 22:05. Gibson was 4-of-5 from the field for nine points on the night.

This lob from Noah to Gibson was quite pretty:

It’s been an adventure with the new second-unit pairing up front for the Bulls on offense, but this was probably the most solid performance from the pairing in the first six games.

Next: 3. McDermott gets a chance to start?