The Chicago Bulls are on a four-game win streak after beating the Atlanta Hawks tonight, 126–123, in a game that went down to the wire. This game had more low moments than high ones, but all’s well that ends well. Trust me, you’ll want to read this game story.
First Half: A Tough Watch
This is the fun (not) of being a Chicago Bulls fan. One night, the rim is as big as the ocean, and the misses are as real as Santa Claus. Then another, against the same team, in the same arena, everything gets flipped on its head. The only thing that stayed consistent between the two nights? The Bulls’ defense, or lack thereof.
The Atlanta Hawks were missing reigning Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels tonight, Josh Giddey’s international teammate and defensive matchup. That should’ve been a plus for Chicago. Instead, Atlanta inserted Nickeil Alexander-Walker into the starting lineup, the man who averages the second-most points per game for the team. In the last game, Nickeil didn’t score a single point in the first half. Tonight, he had 12 points in the first quarter.
The Hawks came out aggressive, jumping to a 7–0 start, clearly preparing for the Bulls avalanche they saw on Sunday. But this time, the weather report was clear skies. Chicago struggled to find rhythm, shooting just 38% from the field and 27% from three in the opening quarter. They also couldn’t stop Atlanta, who shot 58% from the floor. The Hawks led 36 – 30 after one, still manageable, but concerning.
Through the first 12 minutes.Vooch: 9 points pic.twitter.com/xiAlc5UTuV
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 24, 2025Chicago was down, but not out. Last time, the second quarter was where the Bulls did their damage. That script didn’t hold. The Bulls turned the ball over eight times in the second quarter, leading directly to 12 Hawks points. The worst of them were self-inflicted like a Coby White travel and a Coby White double-dribble. Atlanta ripped off a 16-2 run and pushed the lead to as many as 18. They controlled both ends of the floor, scoring 32 points while holding Chicago to just 25, 20 fewer than the Bulls scored in the same quarter on Sunday.
Even the bench, that is usually Chicago’s trump card, couldn’t bail them out. Atlanta doubled the Bulls in bench points. Despite Chicago improving their shooting percentages slightly, they still went into halftime down 13.
Player of the Half: Josh Giddey (8 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds)
Third Quarter: +/- Zero
© Dale Zanine-Imagn ImagesChicago needed to come out hot. The only way to cut into the lead was to catch Atlanta by surprise, and for a moment, they did. The Bulls opened the third quarter on a 14-7 run, cutting the lead to six. Every basket came in the paint, fueled by good passing and timely assists.
Giddey got his triple-double with 8:36 left in the quarter, much earlier than he did last game. And then things went sideways. The safest hands in Chicago suddenly got shaky. Giddey turned the ball over three times, nearly unforced. When you give the Hawks a finger, they take the whole hand, and Atlanta erased everything good the Bulls had done, pushing the lead back to as many as 15.
Billy Donovan went back to his trusted bench, and they responded. Turnovers were forced. Four-point plays were made. The lead was cut back to seven. Momentum felt real. And then again, Coby White committed turnovers on two straight possessions, and just like that, the Hawks were back up 11.
I thought the starters were supposed to be better than the bench. What upside-down world were we living in tonight? The Bulls ended the third quarter with a net-zero impact, still trailing by 13 with 12 minutes to go.
4th Quarter: The Chicago Bulls Christmas Miracle!
It was now time to pray for a Christmas miracle. The outcome of the game hung in the balance like mistletoe, and someone must’ve heard my prayer.
The Bulls scored the first 10 points of the quarter, and suddenly, we had a ballgame. Everything started clicking. Nikola Vučević was hitting one-legged fadeaways like a prime Dirk. Matas Buzelis threw down a massive dunk and shushed the Hawks crowd. The Cardiac Bulls had arrived.
And then, of course, I spoke too soon.
With 6:52 left, things went from zero to chaos in a heartbeat. Trae Young patted Ayo Dosunmu on the backside, and Ayo did not appreciate it. Words were exchanged, faces got close, and Ayo even got a hand on Young’s neck. This chippiness started on Sunday and fully erupted tonight. As if that wasn’t enough, Matas Buzelis pulled something in his leg and was forced to leave the game.
It felt like Atlanta was getting all the luck and still couldn’t shake Chicago.
The Hawks opened the door again with offensive fouls, poor rebounding, and questionable shot selection and the lead quietly shrank to four.
Welcome to squeaky-bum time.
Coby White, who had been having a very questionable night, pulled up for a bold, deep three and drilled it. One-point game. If you ever needed a real-life definition of sports washing, this was it.
Now the luck flipped. The Bulls won challenges. They jumped inbound passes. They even got a goaltending call in their favor. And what had been building finally happened, Chicago took the lead, 120–119, with under 90 seconds remaining.
The Bulls closed the game with four guards and Vučević. Giddey had the ball with Young in front of him and his mouth must’ve been watering. He took him to the paint and shot it right over him. Bulls up three with 39 seconds to go.
Young answered with a layup to cut it to one. Vučević got a clean look at a three and missed. Okoro grabbed the offensive rebound, kicked it out to Coby, and White got folded.
Two free throws to make it a three-point game. Coby missed one.
Bulls up two. Hawks ball. Tie or win. Everyone was watching for Young or Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker slipped in for a layup to tie it. Chicago had 1.9 seconds to either start Christmas early or play one more period.
And here came the Christmas miracle I called for.
Coby White was fouled away from the play. That gave him one free throw and possession, another gift from Atlanta. Coby knocked down the free throw, and the Bulls finally grabbed the driver’s seat and they never let go.
Chicago wins, 126–123. Four straight wins. Merry Christmas!
Chicago Bulls Co-Players of the Night: Josh Giddey: 19 points, 15 assists, 11 rebounds and Coby White: 24 points, 4 assists, 3 steals.
Coby game-high 24 points on 13 shots ?24 PTS | 7-13 FG | 5-10 3FG | 3 STL | +7 pic.twitter.com/HhGYo2zw8F
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 24, 2025Numbers to Remember:
Josh Giddey picked up his 7th triple-double of the season, giving him back-to-back triple-doubles against the Hawks. That triple-double was also the fastest in franchise history, needing only 20:02 minutes to achieve.A triple-double in just 20:02 of action ??? pic.twitter.com/NmF3ajL4Ir
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 24, 2025 Josh Giddey and Coby White each had seven turnovers. That marked the most turnovers by White and the second-most by Giddey this season. By suiting up tonight, Nikola Vučević became 154th player in NBA history to play in at least 1,000 games.1⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ career games for Vooch!With his start tonight vs. Atlanta, Vooch becomes the 154th player in NBA history to play 1,000 games.@ConstellationEG | #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/h8pXa0Y3Fh
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 24, 2025 The Bulls extended their longest active streak of 20+ team assists in the NBA to 117 games. Since 2021, when these mini back-to-back, same-team series were introduced, there have been 249 sets. The Bulls-Hawks two-game set made 2025-26 Chicago Bulls the 142nd team to sweep a set. They are also the 61st road team to do so. (via Hawks broadcast) With the 126–123 win tonight, the Bulls swept the season series against the Hawks, 3–0. The Atlanta Hawks shot just 7-of-24 from the field in the fourth quarter, which contributed to their eventual loss.Bulls 126, Hawks 123Bulls come from 18 down to win 4th straight, cap 3-0 tripGiddey triple double (and 7 TOs)Vucevic double-double and icing FTsWhite 24 pts and 5 3PM (and 7 TOs)Okoro huge offensive rebound lateHawks shoot 7-24 in 4th
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 24, 2025Full Box Score
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