Struggling in recent games, the Chicago Bulls pulled off the upset victory to the tune of 105-96 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday (Saturday in Australia).

The Bulls’ trio of Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol did most of the damage against the Thunder to snap Chicago’s three-game skid. Butler top-scored for his team with 23 points and added 6 rebounds and 4 steals while Gasol posted a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds with 6 assists. Rose had 19 points.

As usual, the Thunder were led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook who had 29 and 26 points, respectively, and had a three-game winning streak snapped.

The highly physical contest saw the road team grab a six-point lead after the first quarter, 32-26 but the home team responded in the second to cut down the lead to two points, 54-52 at halftime. The Bulls played with more energy after the break however, as they outscored the Thunder, 32-16 in the third quarter and grabbed the huge 86-68 advantage entering the final period.

The Thunder tried to rally in the fourth and trailed by just six points, 99-93 with 2:38 to go in the game. However, key baskets and free throws from Butler, Rose and Gasol held off OKC’s late-game challenge and the Bulls escaped with the victory.

Except for Enes Kanter who had 14 points and 13 rebounds, no other Thunder scored in double-figures as the three other starters—Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams and Andre Roberson-- combined to shoot just 5-of-22 from the field, or 22.7 per cent for just 11 points.

While the Thunder failed to get key contributions from other players, the Bulls got a double-double from Taj Gibson, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds to help the team improve to a 5-6 win-loss record on the road.

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