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In one of their final tune ups before the regular season kicks off, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 94-89 in preseason action at the United Center. Chicago gave major minutes to what is expected to be their opening night starting lineup, while the Thunder sat both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, as well as Nick Collison.
The big development for the Bulls, though, wasn't a good one. Kirk Hinrich, the team's expected starting point guard, strained his right groin in the second quarter of the game and did not return. It was the second injury that Hinrich has suffered this preseason -- he injured his thumb last week.
On Tuesday night, Chicago was powered by its frontline. Both Carlos Boozer (24 points, 12 rebounds) and Joakim Noah (15 rebounds, 10 assists) put up double-doubles, and Luol Deng added 21 points, five rebounds and three dimes. First-round pick Marquis Teague saw his playing time dwindle even further, though, as he only saw four minutes of action.
The Bulls will be back on the court vs. the Indiana Pacers on Friday night for their final preseason game of the season. That game will take place at the Joyce Athletic Center on the campus of Notre Dame.