CHICAGO (AP) — Jared McCain scored 20 points, Isaiah Joe added 19 and the Oklahoma City Thunder — playing without star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — beat the Chicago Bulls 116-108 on Tuesday night.

The defending NBA champion Thunder held out Gilgeous-Alexander to manage an abdominal strain that sidelined him for most of last month. But even without the reigning MVP, they had more than enough to win for the sixth time in seven games. They lead the Western Conference at 48-15.

McCain made four 3-pointers. Aaron Wiggins scored 18 points. Jaylin Williams had 17 points and 16 rebounds. Cason Wallace had 17 points, and Chet Holmgren added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Collin Sexton scored 20 points for Chicago, including a 3 in the closing minute that cut it to 112-106. But the Bulls got back to losing after stopping an 11-game skid with a lopsided win over Milwaukee on Sunday.

Guerschon Yabusele had a season-high 18 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double in 11 games since a trade-deadline deal with New York. The 6-foot-8, 283-pound Frenchman made four 3-pointers.

Josh Giddey just missed his ninth triple-double and second in two games, with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Matas Buzelis scored 11 points before limping to the locker room near the end of the third quarter. He rolled his right ankle when he stepped on Williams’ foot and did not return to the game.

The Thunder trailed 60-59 early in the third when Holmgren dunked to start a 14-3 run. They outscored Chicago 8-2 over the final three minutes of the quarter, including a 3 by McCain, to take an 87-76 lead to the fourth.

Up next

Thunder: At New York on Wednesday night.

Bulls: At Phoenix on Thursday night. ___

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CHICAGO (AP) — Josh Giddey had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his eighth triple-double this season, and the Chicago Bulls used a 27-0 run to beat the Milwaukee Bucks 120-97 on Sunday and stop an 11-game losing streak.

Giddey had his 15th triple-double as a member of the Bulls, tying Scottie Pippen for second on the franchise list.

Collin Sexton added 22 points, and Matas Buzelis had 20, helping Chicago come out on top after matching the third-worst skid in franchise history. The Bulls were 0-11 in February and had not won since Jan. 31 at Miami.

Bobby Portis scored 18 points for Milwaukee. The Bucks missed 17 straight shots down the stretch in their second straight blowout loss.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his 15th consecutive game because of a strained right calf. The two-time MVP has not played since Jan. 23.

The Bulls trailed by 16 in the second quarter following a 17-0 run by Milwaukee and were down 66-51 at halftime. It was 89-81 late in the third when Tre Jones made two free throws for Chicago to start the decisive rally.

Buzelis hit a tying floater to start the fourth and Collin Sexton gave the Bulls a 91-89 lead with a pull-up jumper just under a minute into the quarter.

The Bucks went about 7 1/2 minutes without scoring before Kevin Porter Jr. made two free throws with 5:51 remaining, and they missed the 17 straight shots before Ousmane Dieng with 3:12 to play.

Bears coach Ben Johnson, watching from a suite with Pippen, got a warm ovation when he was shown on the videoboard in the second quarter. Johnson delighted the crowd when he feigned pulling off his shirt, as he did in the locker room following a win at Philadelphia.

Up next

Bucks: Host Boston on Monday night.

Bulls: Host Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.

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