During the Chicago Bulls’ 2010-11 season renaissance under eventual Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau and eventual MVP Derrick Rose, they were at times so dominant that they inspired two divorces between opposing teams and their head coaches.
A 110-89 victory against the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 29, 2011 prompted that franchise to fire Jim O’Brien and replace him with assistant coach Frank Vogel. That turned out to be a pretty savvy move. A 91-86 win over the Utah Jazz on Feb. 9 compelled a shocking midseason retirement from Hall of Fame head coach Jerry Sloan. A Bulls All-Star as a player in the ’60s and ’70s who became a Finals nemesis in the ‘90s, Sloan had gotten into an argument with Utah All-Star guard Deron Williams after the loss, calling it a career the next day. He would return a few seasons later as a team adviser.
Those dominant Bulls victories exposed the fissures in their rivals.
Now, a very mid Chicago squad (12-15) might just inspire the Cleveland Cavaliers to follow suit with the reigning Coach of the Year. Where the Thibodeau/Rose-era Bulls that season flattened the competition, the 2025-26 vintage is known as a pretender. Thus, supposed contenders have no excuse for losing to Chicago twice in quick succession.
Kenny Atkinson’s Cavaliers looked totally checked out in Wednesday’s 127-111 Bulls triumph at the United Center. Playing at home on Friday, they were at least pretty engaged, although their defense once again couldn’t contain Chicago’s transition efforts at all.
Ultimately, the Cavlaiers couldn’t hang on late at Rocket Arena, and fell to the Bulls for the second time in three nights, 136-125. Cleveland fans rained boos on the Cavaliers as they headed for the locker room. A change may need to happen on the bench.
First Half: A Back-And-Forth Affair
The first quarter was a tale of runs. Cleveland started out strong, with first-time starter Tyson Procter — a rookie in for a sick Donovan Mitchell — chipping in six points and Darius Garland adding five for an 11-0 Cleveland opening run.
But the Bulls came roaring all the way back.
Chicago issued a 13-2 response to knot things up midway through the frame, 13-13. Billy Donovan once again had an earlier-than-usual hook for starting center Nikola Vucevic in the period, swapping him out for Zach Collins’ rim protection after the first 4:37 of action.
Power forward Matas Buzelis and reserve guard Tre Jones were the stars of the show in the first quarter, chipping in eight points apiece. Buzelis did most of his damage with aggressive drives, while Jones’ scoring came off jumpers.
Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesThe game was tied, 32-32, heading into the second frame. Donovan took an extended look at the two-big lineup he likes to trot out with Collins and Jalen Smith early.
At the top of the second quarter, Nikola Vucevic was brought in for Collins to play next to Smith. Chicago’s size up front early in the frame helped the team outscore Cleveland 11-6 to start the frame, mostly thanks to the efforts of Vucevic, Smith and Coby White.
The two teams traded baskets for a while, until a little Giddey run helped create some late separation. The 6-foot-8 point guard scored back-to-back triples, then banked a floater to go on a personal eight-point scoring run for Chicago. Suddenly, the Bulls were up 10 with 1:02 remaining.
By the end of the half, Chicago’s lead was extended to 11 points, 66-55.
Second Half: Voochie Mane Helps Chicago Pull Away Late
The Bulls paced the Cavaliers by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, thanks to an array of downhill buckets courtesy of mostly Giddey, White and Buzelis. After a tactical Kenny Atkinson timeout, a spirited effort from ex-Chicago point guard Lonzo Ball and a bench-heavy Cleveland unit sparked a full Cavaliers comeback, fully erasing the double-digit deficit. In fairness, several rushed, 3-point-heavy offensive possessions from the Bulls didn’t help their own case, either.
The Bulls couldn’t land a trey for much of that frame, but kept trying for a while. Finally, Chicago switched up its approach and began blowing by Cleveland on drives again. The Bulls held a one-possession edge on the Cavaliers, 101-99, heading into the fourth.
It was the Nikola Vucevic Show in the fourth quarter. The oft-derided, confoundingly immobile 35-year-old showed off his versatile offensive bag, scoring 11 points (on 5-of-8 shooting) and pulling down six rebounds. Cleveland came rallied once again, behind a spirited Darius Garland performance. He would go on to score 10 of his 33 overall points in the period.
Garland’s push tied the game up once again, 115-115, at the six-minute mark of the frame. But the Cavaliers’ turnstile paint defense allowed for a parade of inside takes late. Chicago later closed out Cleveland on a 12-5 run in the contest’s final 2:27.
Interestingly, Patrick Williams was largely squeezed out of Donovan’s rotation. The expensive former lottery pick suited up for just 4:53 as Chicago’s 11th man on a now fully-healthy (Noa Essengue aside) roster.
Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesAyo Dosunmu had a relatively quiet offensive night for his first game back in over a week, scoring eight points on 3-of-7 shooting while playing just 13:56. He and Jones were both on minutes restrictions.
Chicago Bulls Player of the Night – Nikola Vucevic. Both he and Buzelis paced the Bulls with 24 points, but Vucevic also grabbed 14 rebounds and provided clutch, multi-faceted scoring at the end of regulation. His lack of hops or defensive footspeed still annoys me, though.
Numbers to Remember
Chicago moved to a 9-8 record on the year in clutch games by holding on to win. For the second straight game, seven Bulls scored in double figures. This time, it was every starter sans ex-Cavs wing Isaac Okoro, plus Collins, Jones and Kevin Huerter off the bench. Buzelis notched his sixth 20-plus-point game of the young season, an encouraging sign for the second-year standout. Chicago enjoyed a massive 20-7 edge in fastbreak points, thanks largely to the efforts of Buzelis, Giddey and White. The Bulls also notched 21 points off turnovers to Cleveland’s 14. This dub marks the first time in exactly a month that Chicago has won two games consecutively.Full Box Score
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