Chicago Bulls are Literally Unbeatable When Playing Thursday Night Home Games on TNT
By Kyle Koster
The Chicago Bulls kept one of the most inexplicable streaks in the NBA alive last night by beating the Kevin Durant-less Golden State Warriors. The victory was their 18th consecutive while playing a Thursday home game televised on TNT.
It is a very specific, but no less impressive claim to fame.
The Miami Heat were the last team to beat the Bulls on a Thursday TNT broadcast, back on Feb. 21, 2013.
Since then, Chicago’s owned the night:
April 11, 2013: Bulls 118, Sixers 111
Oct. 31: 2013: Bulls 82, Knicks 81
Dec. 5, 2013: Bulls 107, Heat 87
Feb. 13, 2014: Bulls 92, Nets 76
March 13, 2014: Bulls 111, Rockets 87
Dec. 18, 2014: Bulls 103, Knicks 97
Dec. 25, 2014: Bulls 113, Lakers 93
Jan. 22, 2015: Bulls 104, Spurs 81
Feb. 12, 2015: Bulls 113, Cavaliers 98
March 5, 2015: Bulls 108, Thunder 105
Nov. 5, 2015: Bulls 104, Thunder 98
Dec. 10, 2015: Bulls 83, Clippers 80
Jan. 7, 2016: Bulls 101, Celtics 92
March 17, 2016: Bulls 118, Nets 102
Oct. 27, 2016: Bulls 105, Celtics 99
Dec. 8, 2016: Bulls 95, Spurs 91
Feb. 16, 2017: Bulls 104, Celtics 103
March, 2, 2017: Bulls 94, Warriors 87
This long-running streak is even more confounding when you factor in the Bulls’ relative mediocrity since it began. They are 185-150 during that span, meaning they’ve won at a .552 clip. They’ve gone 103-63 at the United Center since the streak began, a winning percentage of .620.
Cleveland comes to town for a Thursday matchup on March 30. If the Bulls can extend the streak to 19, it will go a long way in securing a playoff spot. Currently, they sit at No. 6 in the East with a two-game lead over Detroit for the final position.
No one will want to face them in Chicago on a Thursday, on TNT, in the postseason. Imagine the psychological edge the mere presence of a calendar and TNT banner could provide. Definitely something to keep an eye on.