The Bulls picked up their first win of the season by leaning into the one thing that can cover a lot of flaws: playing the right guys at the right time.
Against the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago looked rough in stretches, especially when the starting group was on the floor. But the bench swung the game, the Bucks helped with 12 missed free throws - including five in the fourth quarter - and the Bulls walked out with a result that felt a lot more meaningful than the usual early-season fog.
Tiago Splitter’s first victory as Bulls coach came with a clear message attached. He didn’t seem tied to any one name or any one plan. He played the guys who gave Wilson 1 and the team the best chance to win, and that approach paid off.
The opening quarter was ugly. Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis were part of a starting lineup that didn’t give Chicago much of a shot, and the Bulls were staring at the possibility of dropping both competitive games they had played so far. Even in a game where they were able to keep possessions even and even gain an edge, the offense was miserable: 17 points, 6/14 on twos, 1/14 on threes 2.
Then the second unit changed everything. Tre Jones ran the point, and Noa Essengue and Leonard Miller helped turn defense into offense. That group sparked a 16-0 run and flipped the game.
By halftime, Chicago was only down one, but the numbers around the starters were not flattering. The Bulls were -13 with Giddey on the floor, and the trio of Giddey, Matas, and Caleb combined for just eight points in the half.
The second half didn’t bring an immediate collapse from the starting group, but the contrast was still obvious. Essengue, Miller, and Jones kept attacking, and Caleb Wilson found another gear. Wilson scored 12 points in the third quarter alone.
Even then, the game stayed there for most of the fourth quarter. It was still a toss-up late, but the closing stretch told the story.
Giddey sat for the final four or so minutes, and Buzelis didn’t play at all in the fourth. Chicago closed better without them, and that mattered more than any reputation attached to the lineup.
The Bulls didn’t win despite that setup. They won because of it.
As the game wore on, Chicago was still shaky in half-court offense, but the bench’s energy and pressure created turnovers. The Bulls capitalized on nine Bucks giveaways, and that possession edge tipped the night their way.
Wilson finished by making 5-6 at the line in the fourth quarter. That doesn’t automatically make him clutch - even the source would not go that far - but it does underline the bigger point: he needs real minutes in real games.
Miller led the bench push with 19 points. Jones added eight assists, and Chicago was plus-24 in his minutes.
Hield scored 13. Essengue contributed 1 block and 3 steals while guarding the center spot.
Okoro finished with 12 points and his usual solid defense.
The Bulls are now 1-1, both in the standings and in the more informal category of games that were worth watching instead of fading into the background.
They head into Saturday against the Washington Wizards, a team that sits somewhere between Milwaukee and Toronto in the still-healthy-for-now range.
The defense, especially from the starters, still doesn’t look like something worth obsessing over. It was bad, and it’s probably going to be bad all year.
That remains true even with another rotation choice in the mix: Isaac Okoro played nearly 28 minutes, while Dailyn Swain got a DNP. Not all young players matter the same amount.
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Josh Giddey is also listed as probable, which matters because he has been dealing with a wrist issue that began in the preseason and lingered into the opener. Nic Claxton remains out with a hamstring injury, leaving the Bulls to sort through a frontcourt situation that is still not fully settled as they prepare for one of the Easts tougher early tests. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls New Era Starts With A Loss Fans Wont Easily Ignore
The Bulls season opener in Toronto was the kind of ugly start that tends to linger, especially for a team trying to make a fresh first impression. Chicago was short-handed because of injury and illness, but even that context could not soften a 135-92 loss that featured shaky shooting, repeated mistakes and a Raptors team that turned miscues into easy points.
Toronto piled up 35 points off turnovers and got strong nights from Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley, while the Bulls never found much rhythm at either end. The bigger concern now is less about one bad night than what it can mean so early in a new season, with Milwaukee waiting next and little time to let this one fade from memory. [Read more 🡒]