The Chicago Bulls are riding a hot streak, and they’re doing it with buckets-lots of them.
After a rough 2-8 stretch, Chicago has flipped the script with three straight wins, all against teams above .500. That includes back-to-back victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers and a wild 152-150 shootout against the Atlanta Hawks-the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season.
Let’s start with the obvious: 152 points is a massive number. It’s the kind of offensive eruption that grabs headlines, and rightfully so.
The Bulls have now increased their scoring output in four straight games, and they’re doing it with efficiency and balance. Against Atlanta, nine different players hit double figures.
As a team, Chicago shot 57.6% from the field and nearly 48% from deep. That’s not just good-it’s elite.
Matas Buzelis led the way with a near-perfect shooting night: 10-of-11 from the field, 7-of-8 from three, finishing with 28 points. The rookie’s confidence is growing by the game, and he’s quickly becoming a key piece in the Bulls’ offensive engine.
Coby White chipped in 21, and Josh Giddey flirted with a triple-double, posting 19 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists. This wasn’t a one-man show-it was a full team effort, and that’s what makes it sustainable.
But here’s the thing: while the Bulls’ offense is humming, their defense is waving a white flag.
Giving up 150 points in a win is a bit like winning a drag race in a car with no brakes-you got there fast, but it’s not exactly safe. Trae Young and Jalen Johnson each dropped 35+ for Atlanta, and the Hawks shot over 50% from the field while hitting nearly half of their 47 attempts from beyond the arc.
And this isn’t just a one-game issue. Over their three-game win streak, the Bulls rank first in offensive rating-but 27th in defensive rating.
That’s a massive gap. They’re scoring at will, but they’re also letting opponents do the same.
It’s not a sustainable formula, and it leaves them with a razor-thin margin for error.
Here’s the reality: Chicago has only won three games this season in which they didn’t score at least 120 points-and all of those came in the first two weeks. Since then, if they don’t light up the scoreboard, they don’t win.
They’re 3-10 when scoring under 120. Even in their 13 wins, opponents are averaging 120.1 points.
That’s the second-worst mark in the league for winning efforts.
In other words, the Bulls have to outgun teams to get wins. And even when they do, it’s often by the skin of their teeth.
That 152-point outburst against Atlanta? It was just enough.
Earlier in the season, Chicago showed flashes of being a defense-first team. But that version of the Bulls has vanished.
What we’re seeing now is a squad that thrives on pace, spacing, and shot-making. They’re not grinding out wins-they’re outscoring opponents in shootouts.
And unless something shifts defensively, that’s going to be their identity moving forward.
It’s exciting basketball, no doubt. But it’s also a high-wire act. The Bulls are playing with fire, and if the shots stop falling-even for a night-they could find themselves back in the loss column in a hurry.
For now, though, they’re rolling. The offense is clicking, the confidence is building, and they’ve found a rhythm. But if they want to make real noise this season, they’ll need to find a way to get stops-because 152-point nights don’t come around often.