On the night of Derrick Rose‘s jersey retirement, the Chicago Bulls survived a formidable Boston Celtics squad by a single possession at home, 114-111, thanks to a clutch Kevin Huerter corner 3 with 0.2 seconds remaining in regulation.
Chicago has now won four consecutive games, and has moved above a .500 record (23-22) for the first time in two months. In fairness, the exhausted Celtics were playing on the second night of a back-to-back slate, following a double-overtime game on Friday night. The Bulls had an extra day of rest at their disposal.
The Chicago victory was almost beside the point on this night, of course. A fleet of former Bulls was on hand to celebrate the 2011 MVP’s jersey retirement.
RT if you grew up with these guys ? t.co/vF745m9Y5L pic.twitter.com/Vx52832WM0
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2026Classic Rose-era Bulls Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Ben Gordon, Kyle Korver, Kurt Thomas, Brad Miller, Thabo Sefolosha, Tyrus Thomas, Rip Hamilton, Kirk Hinrich, Drew Gooden, Keith Bogans, James Johnson, John Lucas III, Aaron Gray, and Brian Scalabrine (on the call for Boston) were all present. Tom Thibodeau, who coached Rose and Gibson on three different teams (and Deng and Lucas on two), was on hand as well.
Former All-Star dynasty-era Bulls point guard B.J. Armstrong, who was Rose’s agent, was in the house as well. Illinois natives Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner were also on hand for the nationally broadcast bout, a rarity for these thoroughly medicore Bulls.
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY SportsFirst Half: Jaylen Brown Dominates, But Bulls Stay Close
Even without Jayson Tatum, the Celtics have been deadly this season. At 28-17, Boston is somehow the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, despite losing Tatum and ditching several key contributors in the offseason. Boston is almost the polar opposite of Chicago. The Celtics are one of the slowest clubs in the league and love to crash the glass.
Chicago’s current Derrick Rose (i.e. their best player), point guard Josh Giddey, came off the bench on a minutes restriction in his second game back from a hamstring strain. Billy Donovan instead opted for a two-big look to start, with 6-foot-8 Jalen Smith in at power forward next to 6-foot-9 center Nikola Vucevic.
Rookie two-way Celtics center Amari Williams drew his first start ever for Boston, over normal starter Neemias Queta. After an ineffective first half from Williams, however, Mazzulla swapped in Queta to kick off the third quarter.
Reserve shooting guard Kevin Huerter had been the 10th man in the Bulls’ win over Minnesota on Thursday night. On Saturday, he enjoyed a bigger role now with Tre Jones out.
The Celtics frequently played small-ball lineups, confident the Bulls’ size edge wouldn’t hurt them. And indeed it didn’t in the first half. Smaller guys like Brown and two-time All-Defensive Team guard Derrick White defended often Vucevic in the paint on switches. A rattled Vucevic kept passing out of the post rather than take a hook shot or force his way to the rack. At least for a while.
The highlight moment of the half, from a Chicago perspective, was this Buzelis behind-the-back crossover into an elevator flush.
I WANNA GO HIGHER.@BuzelisMatas | @CHSN__ pic.twitter.com/0KSimgl2iw
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2026Joe Mazzulla, one of the best tacticians in the game, busted out some strategic offense/defense hockey substitutions early.
Five-time All-Star Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown, who ranks among the league’s best two-way players now thanks to an improved handle even amid an expanded scoring burden, had another terrific night. The 6-foot-6 Cal product had notched 20 points in the first half. He’s now scored 25 or more points in 10 of his last 11 games, thanks to his eventual 33-point outburst.
The Celtics led by six points, 58-52, at the break. 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field (1-of-4 from deep) and 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line, two assists, and two rebounds. Anfernee Simons already had 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting (2-of-6 from distance) off the bench, as well as a team-high +7 plus-minus.
Chicago was red-hot from distance already through two quarters, going 9-of-22 from deep (40.9 percent). Six players had scored seven or more points.
Chicago Bulls Player of the Half: Coby White – A Bulls-most nine points, plus four dimes.
At the half.Coby White: 9 pts, 4 ast pic.twitter.com/UIkRcX0qV4
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 25, 2026Second Half: A Clutch Win in Front of Derrick Rose
Propelled by five points from Smith, the Bulls reclaimed a (one-point) lead off a 7-0 run to open the third frame!
It was a tight game with 21 lead changes and 10 ties.
Chicago outscored the Celtics 62-53 in the second half. Fittingly enough, given the Bulls’ defensive inconsistencies, they let the game stay close late. Chicago’s typically porous paint defense let Brown connect on a running layup with 14 seconds remaining to knot things up at 111-111.
With Boston’s defense attuned to Coby White late, Kevin Huerter leaked out to the left corner. White found him with a deft dish, and he knocked down the game winner, shaking off the dust from a cold streak.
HUERTER WITH 0.2 ON THE CLOCK FOR THE WINNER pic.twitter.com/CsJDuJJz4b
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) January 25, 2026Boston had a clear edge in paint scoring, 52-42. But Chicago scored 18 more points of triple makes than Boston did, which ultimately swung the game. The Bulls went 21-of-45 from long range (46.7 percent).
A note on Neemias Queta: think about how much Bulls fans would prefer Queta over Vucevic. Vucevic is like the 20th/25th-best center in the league. The fact that management doesn’t appreciate that is insane. Even on an off night, he played better defense than Vucevic has all year.
The game itself felt a bit superfluous. This is a deeply irrelevant Bulls team.
The Rose jersey retirement news has, by far, been the most covered aspect of Chicago’s 2025-26 season — and for good reason. Outside of that hot 6-1 season start and their gimmicky pace, the current Bulls are utterly unremarkable in every way. They’re spinning their wheels, loaded up on expiring contracts with no cohesive plan for the future. It’s incredibly depressing. Honestly, seeing most of the guys from the team’s last relevant rosters threw the club’s sad present into sharp relief.
Chicago Bulls MVP: Coby White – 22 points, seven assists (against four turnovers), one rebound, +5 plus-minus. He may have had an inefficient shooting night (6-of-16 from the field, 5-of-9 from deep), but he led the Bulls in made triples with five, and his gravity at the end compelled Boston to load up on him during the last possession — freeing up Huerter in the corner. A great White pass set up Huerter for the game-winning trey.
Numbers To Remember
Sporting a 109-105 lead at the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Bulls embarked on their 27th clutch game of the year. With the win, Chicago now moves to a 16-11 record in clutch contests this year. Chicago submitted another egalitarian night on offense. A whopping eight players (yes, including ninth man Patrick Williams) scored in double digits. The Bulls also dished out 32 dimes. The Bulls connected on 21 long range takes against Boston. K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network reports that the club’s combined 80 made treys across its last four bouts represent a franchise record. Chicago connected on a franchise-most 25 makes from beyond the 3-point arc during Thursday’s surprise 120-115 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Connecting on 30 or more assists and 20 or more 3-pointers tends to be what the 2025-26 Bulls need to win. White’s 1,047 made triples puts him now just two behind Hinrich’s 1,049 made treys for the second-most in franchise history. Former two-time All-Star Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine leads Chicago with 1,130 made 3-pointers. Buzelis extended his run of consecutive games with at least one made triple to 19. He connected on 4-of-10 looks from beyond the arc.Full Box Score
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