Bulls lose home opener as Washington’s third quarter outweighs Wilson’s 30

CHICAGO — Caleb Wilson gave the Bulls 30 points and 14 rebounds in their home opener Saturday. Washington gave them a third quarter they could not fully undo.

The Wizards outscored Chicago 40–20 in that period and held on for a 124–120 victory at the United Center. A five-point Bulls halftime lead became a 15-point deficit entering the fourth. Chicago won the last quarter 38–27, closing much of that gap without recovering the game.

Chicago fell to 1–2. Washington improved to 2–1 behind Trae Young’s 25 points and nine assists, Kyshawn George’s 22 points and Anthony Davis’ 19. Those three combined for 66 points, but the visitors’ advantage extended beyond the leading scorers. George contributed nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks, while Justin Champagnie finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

For Chicago, the result separates an encouraging individual performance from a collective problem. Wilson’s scoring and rebounding kept producing value across the night. The Bulls still allowed Washington to change the terms of the game in 12 minutes, then spent the final period trying to recover possessions they had already lost.

Twenty points that changed the game

The first half gave Chicago a workable position. Washington led 28–27 after the opening quarter, but the Bulls won the second 35–29 to take a 62–57 advantage into the break. Chicago had scored enough to play from in front despite an uneven shooting night.

That advantage disappeared in the third. Washington’s 40 points nearly doubled its second-quarter output, and the resulting 97–82 score forced Chicago into a different game. Instead of protecting a modest lead, the Bulls needed an extended comeback against a team with several scoring options.

Young supplied both finishing and distribution. His nine assists accompanied a shooting line that included four made threes in 10 attempts and a perfect 9-for-9 performance at the foul line. George made eight of 17 shots. Davis added four assists and six rebounds to his scoring. Washington did not depend on a single player to carry every possession.

The Bulls’ fourth-quarter response mattered, but the arithmetic explains its limit. Chicago recovered 11 points of the 15-point deficit and still finished four behind. Winning three quarters in aggregate could not cancel the size of the loss in the remaining one.

Wilson provides scoring and extra possessions

Wilson made 10 of 24 field-goal attempts and nine of 11 free throws. Four of his 14 rebounds came on the offensive glass, and he added three assists, two steals and a block without a turnover. His production gave Chicago more than a points total: it also supplied possessions and avoided giving Washington extra ones through his own ballhandling mistakes.

His perimeter shooting was less efficient. Wilson went 1-for-9 from three, part of a broader Bulls issue. Chicago made 12 of 43 attempts from beyond the arc, or 27.9%. Wilson’s work at the line and around the basket helped him reach 30 despite those misses, but the team could not consistently turn its outside volume into points.

Matas Buzelis scored 21 on 7-for-13 shooting and made all five of his free throws. Norman Powell added 18 points and four steals. Jalen Smith scored 14, while Tre Jones supplied 10 off the bench. Buddy Hield finished with nine and Leonard Miller with seven.

Josh Giddey’s contribution came primarily as a distributor. He had 10 assists, eight rebounds and nine points, with no turnovers. Chicago had productive passing stretches and several scorers involved. Its final 25 assists and 12 turnovers do not describe an offense that simply stopped generating chances. They describe a team that needed more of those chances to become made shots.

The free-throw margin was not enough

The Bulls went 28-for-30 at the line, a 93.3% conversion rate. Washington made 24 of 28. That gave Chicago four more points on free throws, and the Bulls also made two more threes than the Wizards, who finished 10-for-33 from outside.

Washington nevertheless made five more field goals overall, going 45-for-94 against Chicago’s 40-for-93. Subtract the threes and the visitors held a 35–28 advantage in made two-point baskets. That seven-basket difference was enough to overcome Chicago’s gains at the foul line and beyond the arc.

The Wizards also finished with 48 rebounds to Chicago’s 44, including an 11–9 offensive-rebound edge. Those margins were smaller than the third-quarter swing, but they reinforced Washington’s ability to keep accumulating opportunities. Chicago’s 10 steals did not produce a decisive possession advantage across the full game.

The Bulls leave the opener with a substantial Wilson performance and a clear point of correction. Their 120 points were enough to remain competitive. Allowing 40 in the third quarter made competitiveness insufficient. Sustaining the level of play that built the halftime lead, rather than relying on another late recovery, is the more useful standard for the next game.