The 3-1 Chicago Bulls are off to a good start to the 2012-13 season when they host the defending Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The Bulls have won three of their first four games, including a 99-93 victory Thursday over the Orlando Magic.
Luol Deng scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half while Joakim Noah added 20, nine rebounds and five blocks as Chicago used a 15-2 second-half surge to erase a five-point deficit.
The solid start comes with the absence of injured star Derrick Rose, who's torn ACL has him out until at least the All-Star break. While the Bulls struggle to score at times, they remain one of the NBA's top defensive teams allowing 88.8 points per contest.
Meanwhile, the Thunder, despite trading James Harden, are 2-2 start to remain one of the NBA's most explosive teams.
Both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are averaging 20.8 points per game, with Durant adding 12.3 rebounds per contest. Guard Kevin Martin has assumed some of the burden left by Harden, averaging 19.3 points per game off the bench and shooting 61% from behind the arc.
The Thunder should have some momentum after it bolted to a 30-17 first-quarter lead then rolled to a 108-88 win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. The Thunder turned the ball over 19 times Tuesday but dominated defensively, holding the visiting Raptors to 35.7 percent shooting.
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