The Chicago Bulls walked into Brooklyn on Tuesday night hoping to build some momentum before the All-Star break. They left with a 123-115 loss to the Nets-but if you only saw the final score, you’d miss the real story. Yes, Brooklyn’s red-hot shooting put the Bulls in a bind, but Chicago showed flashes of something deeper: a team in transition, still figuring itself out, but with a few bright spots that are hard to ignore.
Let’s start with what made the difference. Brooklyn was simply surgical on offense.
The Nets shot over 50% from the field and nearly 48% from beyond the arc, and when a team is hitting like that, it’s tough to hang around-especially if you’re undersized in the paint. The Bulls had trouble containing dribble penetration, struggled to protect the rim, and couldn’t consistently finish defensive possessions with rebounds.
That’s been a recurring theme this season, and it showed again in a game where second-chance points and interior presence mattered.
One stat that jumps off the page? Rob Dillingham-yes, the rookie guard generously listed at 6-foot-2-led the Bulls in rebounds with seven.
That’s not exactly what you want to see from a team trying to solve its frontcourt issues, but it does speak to Dillingham’s effort and nose for the ball. It also underscores just how thin Chicago is up front right now.
Still, despite the defensive lapses and rebounding woes, the Bulls had two clear standouts who kept them in the fight: Anfernee Simons and Collin Sexton. Both were acquired around the trade deadline, and both are already making their presence felt.
Simons is quickly becoming the engine of this offense. He poured in 23 points on efficient shooting and added seven assists, looking every bit the part of a lead guard.
His ability to score at all three levels-pull-ups, drives, and catch-and-shoot-kept Brooklyn’s defense honest all night. But it wasn’t just the scoring.
Simons was in control, manipulating defenders with pace and patience, and consistently creating good looks for teammates. For a team that’s lacked a true offensive initiator, his emergence is a welcome development.
Then there’s Sexton, whose energy is impossible to ignore. Coming off the bench, he dropped 21 points and five assists, injecting life into a Bulls squad that needed a jolt.
He played with his usual fire-diving for loose balls, pushing the pace, and jawing at the free-throw line. That moment at the stripe, which lit up social media, was classic Collin.
If you’ve followed him since his high school days, you know that edge is baked into his DNA. He’s not just playing with intensity; he’s playing with purpose.
And that mentality is already starting to rub off on this Bulls roster.
Together, Simons and Sexton gave Chicago a one-two punch in the backcourt that kept the game competitive, even as Brooklyn’s offense kept firing. The sample size is still small, but the early returns are encouraging. Their chemistry is building, and their ability to create offense-both individually and as a tandem-gives the Bulls something they’ve lacked: dynamic, downhill playmakers who can shift the tempo and put pressure on defenses.
Now, with the loss, Chicago falls to 24-30 on the season, sitting 11th in the Eastern Conference-just one game back of Charlotte for the final play-in spot and tied in losses with 12th-place Milwaukee. The standings are tight, and the margin for error is thin. But there’s a sense that the Bulls are starting to find some pieces that fit.
Help could be on the way soon, too. Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, and Jalen Smith are all expected to return from injury after the All-Star break, which should give head coach Billy Donovan more options, especially in the frontcourt where the Bulls have been stretched thin.
Wednesday’s matchup in Boston will be the last before the break, and while it’s a tough draw, it’s also a chance to see how this new-look backcourt handles one of the league’s elite teams. The Bulls aren’t there yet. But if Simons and Sexton keep trending upward-and if reinforcements arrive healthy-this group might just have enough juice to make a push down the stretch.
One thing’s clear: this isn’t the same Bulls team we saw earlier in the season. The roster is shifting, the identity is evolving, and there’s a new energy brewing. The question now is whether they can turn that into wins when it matters most.