Tonight, the Oklahoma City Thunder are set to face off against the Chicago Bulls, kicking off a five-game home-stand while looking to get back into the win column.
The Thunder last faced off against the Celtics, losing on the tail end of a road-trip in a hard-fought game. Boston played well, and Oklahoma City wasn't able to come away with a thirteenth-straight win.
Typically, one late-season loss — after a 12-game winning-streak, no less — wouldn't be a big deal. But the Spurs have been on the Thunder's heels for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for months now, and each loss matters.
San Antonio is now just 2.0 games back with a much easier schedule to close out the year, making games like tonight's all the more important for Oklahoma City.
Here are the injury reports for both the Thunder and Bulls ahead of tonight’s game:
**OKC Thunder injuries:**
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Brooks Barnhizer — Out: G League
Thomas Sorber — Out: Right ACL Surgical recovery
Nikola Topic — Out: G League
**Chicago Bulls injuries:**
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Zach Collins — Out: Right first toe sprain
Rob Dillingham — Probable: Bilateral patella tendonitis
Noa Essengue — Out: Left shoulder surgery
Jaden Ivey — Out: Left patellofemoral pain syndrome
Yuki Kawamura — Out: G League
Mac McClung — Out: G League
Isaac Okoro — Probable: Right patellofemoral pain syndrome
Nick Richards — Questionable: Right elbow sprain
Anfernee Simons — Out: Left ulnar styloid fracture
Jalen Smith — Out: Right calf strain
Guerschon Yabusele — Questionable: Left ankle sprain
For the second-straight game, OKC gets one of its cleaner injury reports of the entire season, with two G League assignments and Thomas Sorber — out for the season with an ACL injury — listed.
Oklahoma City will have its full core tonight, with all of Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Ajay Mitchell and more — who have missed extended time on the season — available.
The Bulls are presently in the opposite boat, listing 11 total players on their own injury report.
Second-year guard Rob Dillingham and forward Isaac Okoro are listed as probable to play, though the other nine are either out or questionable. All of Zach Collins, Noa Essengue, Jaden Ivey, Yuki Kawamura, Mac McClung, Anfernee Simons and Jalen Smith have been ruled out for tonight’s game.
Nick Richards and Guerschon Yabusele are questionable to play.
The Thunder and Bulls tip off at 7 p.m. CT from Oklahoma City, OK.