Heading into the FedEx Forum on the second night of a back-to-back slate Saturday, our Chicago Bulls were without the services of bigs Nick Richards, Guerschon Yabusele, Jalen Smith or Zach Collins.
That left just Leonard Miller among available rotation big men. Head coach Billy Donovan trotted out a first five of guards Josh Giddey, Tre Jones and Isaac Okoro plus Matas Buzelis and Miller on the frontline.
Donovan got so desperate, Patrick Williams and Lachlan Olbrich even played over 22 minutes! Chicago was also missing Anfernee Simons, Jaden Ivey
Collin Sexton starred in the opening half for Chicago, chipping in 11 points during the first quarter alone to put the Bulls up 30-28.
The Grizzlies went on a 15-6 run to earn a 10-point edge midway through the second quarter, 49-39. And then the two Aussies (that’d be Giddey and Olbrich) keyed a 10-0 Bulls run in response, knotting things up at 49-49.
Giddey & Matas on the same wavelength!@joshgiddey | @CHSN__ pic.twitter.com/yToN3Pihu8
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 29, 2026All told, the undersized Bulls led the similarly tanking/hurt Grizzlies by a possession, 58-56, at the break.
Sexton and Buzelis paced Chicago with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Two a 10-day Memphis signings, DeJon Jarreau and Tyler Burton, had 12 points each at the half, while rookie wing Cedric Coward chipped in 11.
The Grizzlies appeared to pull away for good in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulls 42-30. Memphis was up by 10 points heading into the fourth frame — in a game that neither club’s front office really wanted it to win.
Petre Thomas-Imagn ImagesWalter Clayton Jr. Triple, Two Bulls Mistakes Propel Grizzlies to Unwanted Victory
A valiant (?) 17-7 Chicago rally knotted things up midway through the fourth period.
Both squads exchanged buckets the rest of the way. Porous interior defense (the Grizzlies were without Zach Edey, Santi Aldama, Brandon Clarke, Taylor Hendricks and Taj Gibson in the frontcourt alone) led to some pretty offense on both sides.
The contest was tied again, 120-120, with 33 seconds left in regulation — thanks to a driving Tre Jones finger roll layup.
On the next possession, however, Buzelis unraveled defensively, failing to properly close out a wide-open Walter Clayton Jr. at the 3-point line.
??? @w1clayton pic.twitter.com/kXAansTLcJ
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) March 29, 2026After a timeout, Jones found Giddey for a quick dunk response. The two teams played the free throw game down the stretch for a bit.
The Bulls trailed by just a point, 125-124, with four seconds remaining and the ball unfortunately in Memphis’ hands. A bungled Coward pass attempt led to a Jones steal.
Jones built up a head of steam on the subsequent fastbreak, with time ticking away. He seemed destined to put his head down and snag a one-point victory with an easy layup. Instead, he passed it off at the last second to Collin Sexton, who to his credit did put the ball in the bucket… unfortunately, the game clock had already blared.
Had Buzelis hedged harder, earlier on Clayton or Jones just kept the ball and laid it in himself, it’s very possible the Bulls could have sealed the deal.
Ultimately, given that the Bulls were eliminated from postseason contention yesterday, this 125-124 defeat is the result fans should want. But it still feels kind of hollow in the moment.
With so many ball handlers playing big minutes for Chicago, the Bulls turned over the rock a whopping 23 times — yielding 27 Memphis points. The Grizzlies also enjoyed an ample 70-60 advantage in paint points.
Chicago now slips to a 29-45 record with the defeat. Memphis climbs to 25-49. Can the Bulls catch the Grizzlies in the Tankathon reverse standings with just eight games remaining for both teams? Our fingers are crossed.
Giddey notched yet another semi-meaningless triple-double in a loss, with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 dimes. Buzelis logged a 29-point, 10-rebound double-double. Sexton logged 26 inefficient points (on 6-of-14 shooting from the field and 11-of-13 shooting from the foul line) off the bench, as his bid for his next big, long-term free agent contract continues.
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