The words “Chicago Bulls” and “Play-In” only fit together one way this season: for the first time in three years, after practically becoming an NBA meme, the Chicago Bulls will not be in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
There were flashes of strong play, but not from the guys you’d expect. Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis both found their way into a few highlight moments, but overall, they struggled badly and never found a rhythm.
Still, there’s no time to dwell on it. This was the first night of a back-to-back, and they’ll have a chance to respond quickly. The Memphis Grizzlies will host Chicago at the same time tomorrow night.
© Alonzo Adams-Imagn ImagesThe Moment the Bulls Lost the Game
After a strong first half, one that saw the Chicago Bulls not only leading the Oklahoma City Thunder, but also holding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to one of his worst performances in recent memory, you could feel it: this might’ve been too good to be true.
And it was.
Up 88–80 in the third, Chicago looked in control, until the “Thunderstorm” hit. OKC ripped off a 15–0 run, flipping the game on its head. Suddenly, the Thunder were up seven, and the Bulls couldn’t buy a bucket, missing all ten of their field goal attempts during that stretch.
That run didn’t come without controversy. A couple of calls had head coach Billy Donovan absolutely livid, and by the end of the third, Shai had attempted, and made, more free throws than the entire Chicago team combined.
Shai has more makes and attempts from the free-throw line than the entire Bulls team, and Billy Donovan DOES NOT like it.
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) March 28, 2026At the same time, the red-hot Collin Sexton went ice cold, missing five straight shots. Just like that, reality set in, the Bulls were reminded exactly who they were sharing the floor with.
And it only got worse.
That 15–0 run stretched into a brutal 22–0 run spilling into the fourth quarter.
6 scoreless minutes for Chicago, 22 straight OKC points. Yikes.
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) March 28, 2026For six and a half minutes, it looked like Chicago forgot how to play basketball. OKC rode that wave all the way to the finish, shutting the door on the Bulls’ hopes of a play-in push this season.
Key Stats and Takeaways
You wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it yourself. By the end of the first quarter, the Chicago Bulls were leading the reigning champions, and the league’s best record holders, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Isaac Okoro set the tone early, and Collin Sexton kept that energy rolling. The Bulls knocked down eight threes, tied for the most any team has hit in a single quarter against OKC. On the other side, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 9 points, but went 0-for-5 from deep. A strong opening from Chicago, they led by three after one, even with six turnovers.Just getting started in OKC.Sexton: 10 pointsOkoro: 8 points pic.twitter.com/X1XFhEq54C
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 28, 2026 Even after another quarter, the Oklahoma City Thunder still couldn’t flip the momentum. If anything, it got worse, they were outscored again by the Chicago Bulls and went into halftime down five. The former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates, Collin Sexton and Isaac Okoro, were leading the charge, combining for 33 points on an absurd 12-of-13 shooting at the half. OKC found themselves in a tough spot, they were getting outscored by 15 from beyond the arc and just couldn’t keep up with the Bulls’ red-hot shooting.+5 at the break.Okoro: 17 pointsSexton: 16 points pic.twitter.com/2m2LrxiYWp
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 28, 2026 In the fourth quarter, the Oklahoma City Thunder built on the momentum they created to close the third. They pushed the lead to as much as 24, a gap that proved far too much for the Chicago Bulls to overcome. OKC cruised to a 131–113 win in a game they were expected to control.Final from Oklahoma City.Sexton: 22 pointsTre: 21 pointsOkoro: 20 points pic.twitter.com/QtuMvvkJ9p
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 28, 2026 Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey both struggled. Buzelis knocked down just one of his seven attempts from deep, snapping his 15-game streak of hitting at least two threes. He still finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to make an impact on the outcome.Matas Buzelis checks out with 15 points and 9 rebounds but only 1-for-7 from 3, ending his streak of 15 straight games with 2 or more 3s. That's second-longest in franchise history behind Coby White.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 28, 2026 Giddey, meanwhile, filled the stat sheet with 11 assists and 7 rebounds, but his scoring efficiency was rough. He went 1-of-11 from the field and 0-of-8 from three, adding 5 turnovers and a team-worst +/- of -20. His offensive struggles loomed large—they could’ve been the difference in a game like this, maybe even stopping that devastating 22–0 run before it spiraled. To their credit, the Bulls did make things difficult for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He shot just 8-of-24 from the field and 0-of-10 from beyond the arc, relying heavily on free throws to build his scoring total. Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro, and Tre Jones each dropped 20+ points, while Leonard Miller kept his double-digit streak alive with 15 points off the bench.Leonard Miller has 9 straight double-figure scoring games
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 28, 2026 With the loss, the Bulls fall to 29–44 and are officially eliminated from postseason contention. After three straight appearances in the play-in tournament, Chicago won’t be part of it this year. Now, their focus shifts, lottery positioning and player development are all that remain.For the first time in 3 years, the Chicago Bulls will NOT be in the Play-In Tournament!Officially, not mid anymore (just slightly worse)
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) March 28, 2026Full Box Score
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