For the first time in a few years, the Oklahoma City Thunder enters the 2023-24 season with high expectations. Long gone are the days of tanking, and it is now time to officially welcome the new era of Thunder basketball.
Led by the veterans Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, OKC has some of the best young talent in the league in Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, and rookie Chet Holmgren. Looking at the roster from top to bottom, it’s pretty obvious that the Thunder is going to be ready to compete with any team in the NBA on any given night.
The Thunder kicks off the season in Chicago as they prepare to take on Zach Lavine and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls finished last season at 10th place in the Eastern Conference before beat the Toronto Raptors and losing to the Miami Heat in the Play-In games. They are expected to have a similar season this year as last year, and they are a slight favorite over the Thunder in tonight’s opener.
Game Details
Tip-Off: 7 PM CT
Location: United Center (Chicago, Illinois)
Television: Bally Sports Oklahoma
Radio: WWLS 98.1FM OKC The Sports Animal
Twitter: Follow @ZacharyLowNBA for live tweets and discussion during the game
Game Notes: Oklahoma City Thunder Official Game Notes, Chicago Bulls Official Game Notes
Projected Starters
Thunder
- PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- SG: Josh Giddey
- SF: Luguentz Dort
- PF: Jalen Williams
- C: Chet Holmgren
Bulls
- PG: Coby White
- SG: Zach Lavine
- SF: DeMar DeRozan
- PF: Patrick Williams
- C: Nikola Vucevic
Injury Report
Thunder
- Jaylin Williams is OUT (strained right hamstring).
- Kenrich Williams is OUT (lower back spasms).
Bulls
- Lonzo Ball is OUT (left knee surgery).
Head-to-Head
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder is 18-11 against the Bulls (10-5 at home, 8-6 away).
- Since arriving in Oklahoma City in 2008, the Thunder has won the season series against the Bulls 6 times, lost it twice, and tied 7 times.
- The Thunder went 2-0 against the Bulls last season (1-0 at home, 1-0 on the road).