March 16--The summary
For the second straight game, the Bulls got hammered on the boards, losing for the fifth time in six games Sunday at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder's 109-100 victory was underpinned by a 52-33 rebounding advantage -- and some Russell Westbrook. The dynamic guard finished with 36 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, while Enes Kanter added 18 points and 18 rebounds. Nikola Mirotic's 27 points led the Bulls.
Turning point
Westbrook stole Aaron Brooks' post feed to Mirotic with 75 seconds left and scored at the other end three seconds later. The blur of action pushed the Thunder ahead 99-95. Dion Waiters then stripped E'Twaun Moore on a play for which officials used video review to properly overturn their original out-of-bounds call and Anthony Morrow buried a 3-pointer.
Key number
The Bulls allowed 19 second-chance points and 52 points in the paint.
Tribune player of the game
Westbrook. For the second straight time, the Bulls kept him from a triple-double. Like most teams, they failed to stop him from making a major impact on the game.
Injury report
Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson sat for the Bulls. Serge Ibaka's sore right knee sidelined him for the Thunder.
The quote
"He's playing at such a high level. He's making plays on top of it. He keeps pressure on you at all times." -- Tom Thibodeau on Westbrook
The quote II
"Rebounding is a huge part of the game. We've been pretty solid throughout the year. But the last couple games have been a big downside." -- Pau Gasol
The quote III
"He spread the floor. Again, when you're playing a stretch four like that, you're going to give up some rebounding. And that's what we did. It was good at times offensively. But defensively, it was problematic." -- Thibodeau on Mirotic
The quote IV
"What he's doing is pretty amazing. When a guy gets going like that, you obviously have to guard him with your whole team and you have to try to make him work for his points. There are so many other things he does for his team -- the rebounding, his defense, the steals, the playmaking." -- Tom Thibodeau on Westbrook
Up next
Vs. Pacers, 7 p.m. Wednesday.
