February 26, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Josh Gidey (3) passes the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half of an NBA game at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Image Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will aim to extend his NBA road game record to at least 20 points when the Thunder visit the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points to boost the Western Conference-leading Thunder in a 100-87 win at Dallas on Sunday. This marks his 59th consecutive home away game with 20 or more points, a league all-time record.
“He’s obviously a great road player. There’s no difference in his game whether it’s home or on the road,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I think a certain level that some players reach is the ability to perform consistently in all environments. There are a lot of players like that in our role, but he is definitely one of them.”
Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 23 points in his most recent trip to Chicago, helping Oklahoma City to a 114-95 win on Oct. 26, 2024. The Bulls are winless in their last six meetings with the Thunder, but have especially struggled at home, where Chicago has not beaten Oklahoma City since the 2021-22 season.
The Bulls halted an 11-game losing streak on Sunday, coming back from a 16-point third-quarter deficit to top visiting Milwaukee 120-97.
With a franchise-record 27-0 run between the third and fourth quarters, the Bulls earned their first win since Jan. 31.
“Whenever you have a losing streak like this, every game becomes more and more desperate,” Chicago guard Josh Gidey said. “But I thought during the losing streak, obviously a win is what you want, but there were steps in the right direction. I thought we did a lot of good things and (Sunday) everyone came together for the first time.”
Gidey recorded 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season. Collin Sexton, one of several new players acquired during the trade deadline, scored a game-high 22 points.
Matas Bouzelis, who has started each of the team’s 61 games, agreed the Bulls “took a big step forward” on Sunday.
“It’s different for everyone,” said Buzelis, who had 20 points against the Bucks. “We basically have a new team.”
Oklahoma City earned a win over the usual suspects in Dallas, with Chet Holmgren adding 19 points and nine rebounds. Holmgren is averaging a career-high 17.2 points on 55.3 percent shooting.
Reserves Isaiah Cho (14 points) and Jared McCain (11 points) also scored in double figures against the Mavericks.
Joe swung three of the Thunder’s eight 3-pointers. After making just 34.2% of his attempts from deep last January, the group is shooting 49.5% from beyond the arc over the past 13 games.
“The guy can do his best and make the perfect shot,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I’m not surprised by any of it. He didn’t start the year as hot as he has, so I knew it would be flat. I’m not surprised at all.”
Oklahoma City leads the NBA in turnovers with 22.5 points per game. The Bulls had 18 giveaways on Sunday and are averaging 15.1.
–Field level media
