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Isaiah Joe led Oklahoma City with a season-high-tying 31 points as the Thunder beat the visiting Chicago Bulls 145-117 on Monday for their 10th win in a row.
The Thunder are 28-1 against Eastern Conference opponents this season, setting a record for most out-of-conference wins in NBA history. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors held the record with a 27-3 record.
Oklahoma City (63-13) kept alive its chances of becoming the third team in NBA history to win 70 games in a season. The Thunder would need to win out to accomplish the feat.
Oklahoma City is a win shy of tying the franchise mark for victories in a season, set in 1995-96 when the franchise was in Seattle.
The Bulls (33-42) took their second consecutive loss and fell to 10th in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Thunder's 145 points were one off their season high, while it was the most given up by the Bulls since January 2023.
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field. He added 12 assists in just 27 minutes of action as he sat out the fourth quarter with the outcome well in hand.
Joe equaled his career high with eight 3-pointers.
The Thunder came into the game averaging an NBA-best 21.6 points off turnovers this season. They had topped that mark by halftime, scoring 22 points off the Bulls' 14 first-half giveaways while building a 74-40 lead.
The Thunder took control with a 45-point second quarter. The period included a 36-13 run that put Oklahoma City up 65-33. Oklahoma City reserves Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso each had two steals during that stretch.
By the time five minutes remained in the third, Oklahoma City had stretched its lead to 43 points.
The Thunder finished with 34 points off 20 Chicago turnovers.
The game was the first in Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey since being traded to the Bulls in exchange for Caruso in the offseason. The Australian spent the first three seasons of his NBA career with the Thunder.
Giddey received a large ovation when he was introduced before the game. He finished 6 of 15 for 15 points, with 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Jevon Carter led the Bulls with 17 points, while Patrick Williams and Talen Horton-Tucker added 16 points each.
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Celtics Roster ‘Makes Zero Sense’ Says NBA Insider
Bleacher Report's Dan Favale listed the Boston Celtics' roster as one of five which 'make no sense' ahead of the 2025-26 season. Favale cited the Celtics' notable lack of presence in their frontcourt as a major issue for the Eastern powerhouse heading into an uncertain season with their superstar player out. More news: Former Celtics NBA Champion Released By West Squad "Beantown's 4-5 rotation is currently populated by Sam Hauser, Georges Niang, Xavier Tillman, Neemias Queta, Josh Minnott and Luka Garza," said Favale. "That is rough. Especially when it's only a matter of time before Hauser or Niang ambles his way onto the chopping block as the Celtics continue to slash operating costs. "Perhaps Boston will snare another 4 and/or 5 as part of subsequent trades. Or maybe it's secretly hoping Al Horford will get tired of being held hostage by restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga and return on the minimum. "Whatever the Celtics are doing here, no matter how out-of-the-mix they're attempting to be, the frontcourt needs more juice." The Celtics definitely have a need for bigs and have a plethora of guards, and will need to get bigger if they are to compete in a physical conference. The Celtics are notably tight on money, so a signing feels unlikely; however, after waiving G League MVP JD Davison, they have a spot on their roster to make a surprise move, perhaps for Horford potentially. More news: Jayson Tatum Receives Injury Advice From Former Celtics Forward Whether or not that is the case, the Celtics intend to compete this season, and will definitely need more size in order to hang around some of the better teams in the conference. For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.
Browns make curious decision with rookie QB Shedeur Sanders
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should absolutely see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
‘In What World Does This Make Sense?????’: Oilers and $63M Forward
According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.
Raiders Pushed to Sign Ex-Cowboy, Pro Bowler as Christian Wilkins Replacement
Training camp has started for the Las Vegas Raiders, and Christian Wilkins still isn't on the practice field. He hurt his foot in Week 5 of last season and continues to be in recovery. Head coach Pete Carroll didn't exactly instill confidence when he revealed that there's still no timeline for his return. “It’s still uncertain,” Carroll said during his Tuesday press conference. “We sort of have to wait it out.” Wilkins appears to be out of the boot, so that's a good sign, but there's been no clarity on when he might be able to get back on the field. With that in mind, the Raiders might want to consider adding more defensive line help. Linval Joseph Could Be Fit for Raiders At this stage of the offseason, there aren't going to be great options in free agency, but the Raiders could find a dependable veteran. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes Las Vegas should target free agent defensive tackle Linval Joseph. "Joseph finished his 2024 campaign with two sacks, two tackles for loss and 19 total tackles," Knox wrote. "He'd be a solid addition for any team needing depth along the defensive interior, and there are a couple. "The Las Vegas Raiders may need another defensive tackle, as Christian Wilkins still hasn't fully recovered from last year's second-ending foot injury." Joseph spent last season with the Dallas Cowboys and had 2.0 sacks. He's 36 now, but was able to play in all 17 games in 2024. He also went to back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2016 and 2017 when he was with the Minnesota Vikings.
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