Introduction to the Bulls’ Current Situation
Depth. Check. Conditioning. Check. Three-point shooting. Check. Improved defense. Check. Superstar closer? Uh, repeat, superstar closer? Pencils down, Arturas. Yes, Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas should get some credit for an improved product he’s built for the 2025-26 campaign, but for the third straight game – and a third straight Bulls loss – it was the haves taking advantage of the have nots. The incomplete that still sits on Karnisovas’ report card.
Recent Losses and Star Players
In Milwaukee on Friday, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo who finished with 41 and was unstoppable in the fourth. A night later in Cleveland, it was Donovan Mitchell’s turn, as he scored 13 of his 29 down the stretch. And in Monday’s latest blown lead and heartbreak for the Bulls (6-4) it was San Antonio’s unicorn in Victor Wembanyama, who scored 18 of his 38 points in that final quarter to deliver the 121-117 Spurs win. Different night, different star player, same result.
The Impact of Wembanyama
“They’re the best players in the league, and they’re going to do what they do,” Bulls center Nikola Vucevic said after the latest loss. “Some games we’re going to be able to limit them. When they get it going, I don’t think there’s a whole lot you can do. Even against teams that have those great players we’ve played well. (Monday) we had a chance, Cleveland we had a chance as well. Just didn’t close it down the stretch.” The Ninth Wonder of the World was as good as advertised early on, not only on the offensive end with nine first-quarter points, but the way Wembanyama changed the Bulls offense in that opening stanza. More like the way he intimidated it.
White’s Potential Return and Team Performance
White practiced Monday with the Windy City Bulls of the G League to test the strained right calf that has sidelined him since the season started and might make his debut next week. The Bulls don’t have a pure isolation superstar who can get a basket when desperation time comes. In back-to-back losses in Milwaukee and Cleveland, they’ve watched that type of star lead to their downfall. 
Recent Games Against the Cavaliers and Bucks
After Giannis Antetokounmpo showed the Bulls MVP basketball Friday night, it was Donovan Mitchell’s turn a night later. The Cavs All-Star scored 29, and, suddenly, after a hot start, the Bulls are 6-3. <img class="Image" alt="Bulls Cavaliers Basketball" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/540a40d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4645×3097+0+0/resize/840×560!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4c%2F96%2Fe86f895c4b74a94c1e3034b8d411%2Fbulls-cavaliers-basketball.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/090aa69/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4645×3097+0+0/resize/1680×1120!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4c%2F96%2Fe86f895c4b74a94c1e3034b8d411%2Fbulls-cavaliers-basketball.jpg 2x" width="840" height="560" src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/540a40d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4645×3097+0+0/resize/840×560!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4c%2F96%2Fe86f895c4b74a94c1e3034b8d411%2Fbulls-cavaliers-basketball.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" bad-src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5
