What could turn out to be one of the worst, but also most needed wins of the regular season came for second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls against his former team on the night of Jan. 24. Donovan and the Bulls were able to hang on by the tips of their fingernails to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road at the Paycom Center on Jan. 24 by a slim one-point margin.
The Bulls got it done, but it wasn’t easy by any means. At one point in the third quarter, the Bulls held a 28-point lead over rising star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. That 28-point lead would be squandered by the last few minutes of the fourth quarter.
Around the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter, you could feel this game getting way too close for comfort on the Bulls bench. The Thunder ultimately beating the Bulls by a margin of 13 points in the fourth quarter would pull this game within one point at two different occasions in the final two minutes.
A career-night for Ayo Dosunmu helps the Chicago Bulls stave off a late rally from the Thunder
But it was veteran Thunder big man Mike Muscala that hit a three-pointer with less than one second to go in the fourth quarter that made this a one-point game when it was all said and done. Wing Javonte Green hit one of two free throws to extend the lead to four points and essentially ice the game with just a couple of seconds remaining.
After this ultra-narrow win for the Bulls over the Thunder 111-110, here’s a look at two studs and one dud from this inconsistent performance.