In the second quarter of tonight's Oklahoma City Thunder-Chicago Bulls game, Derrick Rose capped a drive with an absolutely beautiful pass to Jimmy Butler for the jam. The Bulls took a 44-37 lead on the play, and forced the Thunder to call a timeout. At halftime, Chicago has a 57-50 lead over the Thunder.
This is what the Bulls and their fans have been envisioning with a healthy Rose and athletic Butler who's come into his own offensively. This type of chemistry is what this team needs to elevate to the next level, and doing it in primetime against a team like this is only good news.
Rose has been struggling offensively so far this year, and after starting 1-for-8 from the field for three points, he finished the second quarter making three of his last four. He's got 11 points, four assists and three boards at the half.
Butler scored 21 of his own, combining for 32 between the backcourt duo. Jimmy Buckets shot 6-of-10 from the field with one assist and three rebounds as well. Neither player has turned over the ball yet against a feisty Thunder team.
Chicago is in desperate need of a win tonight. After getting blown out by the Charlotte Hornets a couple of nights ago, 130-105, many criticized this team heavily. They're supposed to be one of the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, and getting taken down like that, even in Game 5 of the season, is unacceptable.
The Bulls also need this win to stop the rumors surrounding this team. Brian Windhorst appeared on ESPN Radio's "Russillo & Kanell" yesterday and shared his opinion that Rose and the Bulls were moving on from each other. While that claim has not been supported by anyone inside the Bulls organization -- yet -- it's not something the team needs weighing on their minds, or the minds of their fans.
Finding a way to keep this lead for the second half and come away with a win against a good team like the Thunder would go a long way toward doing just that.
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