Gamethread: Bulls @ Cavaliers (Preseason) - Oct. 7, 2025

Gavin Dorsey

Oct 7, 2025, 23:23

Gavin Dorsey

Oct 7, 2025, 23:23

Updated at: Oct 8, 2025, 01:40

FINAL: CHI 118, CLE 117

Dalen Terry blocks Thomas Bryant just before the buzzer, and the Bulls come back to steal a win in the preseason opener! Chicago outscored Cleveland in the final frame, 35-27.

Bulls Starter Stats:

Buzelis (18:12): 19 pts, 7-11 FG, 8 reb
Okoro (17:32): 11 pts, 3-7 FG, 2 reb, 2 ast
Giddey (13:32): 3 pts, 1-4 FG, 5 ast, 3 reb, 3 stl
Vucevic (18:59): 3 pts, 1-3 FG, 6 reb
Huerter (19:21): 3 pts, 1-7 FG, 3 reb, 4 PF

Bulls Bench Stats:

Collins (13:56): 16 pts, 7-8 FG, 2 reb, 3 ast
Dosunmu (19:14): 12 pts, 5-6 FG, 3 reb
Williams (16:23): 11 pts, 3-3 FG, 3 ast, 2 reb
Jones (19:08): 10 pts, 4-5 FG, 2 ast, 4 stl
Carter (12:00): 10 pts, 4-7 FG, 2 ast
Essengue (13:34): 8 pts, 2-5 FG, 5 reb, 3 PF
Smith (15:05): 5 pts, 1-8 FG, 8 reb
Terry (16:54): 4 pts, 2-3 FG, 4 reb, 3 ast
Kawamura (14:22): 3 pts, 1-4 FG, 5 ast, 3 reb
Phillips (11:48): 0 pts, 0-1 FG

End Q3: CLE 90, CHI 83

Chicago used the third quarter to get some experience for its reserves, and No. 12 overall pick Noa Essengue checked in for his first preseason minutes. Yuki Kawamura, Patrick Williams, Zach Collins and Dalen Terry all earned playing time as a bench unit.

Q3 5:02: CHI 72, CLE 71

Buzelis has been the Bulls' engine to start the third. In just over 18 minutes of action, he's Chicago's leading scorer with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting and eight boards.

HALF: CLE 57, CHI 57

The Bulls ended the half on an 18-6 run to pull this one even. You can certainly see the team's vision when things are clicking, as Chicago cut its turnovers from nine to four from the first to the second quarter.

Dosunmu: 12 points (5-6 FG)
Buzelis: 10 points (4-8 FG), 5 off. rebounds
Okoro: 9 points (3-6 FG)
Giddey: 3 points (1-4 FG), 5 assists

Q2 6:08: CLE 49, CHI 39

Matas Buzelis is certainly showing what he worked on this summer. The sophomore has been aggressive on the offensive end - he's now up to 10 points (4-8 FG) and five offensive rebounds.

End Q1: CLE 37, CHI 26

Turnovers were the story of the first quarter. Chicago gave the ball up nine times in the opening period, and the Cavs had 13 points off the Bulls' mishaps.

Dosunmu's 10 points (4-4 FG) led all scorers.

Q1 2:45: CLE 26, CHI 22

Ayo Dosunmu has injected some life into this Bulls lineup off the bench. He's 3-of-3 with a pair of triples so far, and Chicago has made its last four shots after starting 4-of-15.

Q1 7:08: CLE 18, CHI 6

Pretty rough start for the Bulls, which turned the ball over three times in the first 90 seconds. The team also shot just 2-of-9 overall before the first media timeout.

Starting Lineups:

Chicago Bulls:

G Josh Giddey
G Kevin Huerter
F Isaac Okoro
F Matas Buzelis
C Nikola Vucevic

Cleveland Cavaliers:

G Jaylon Tyson
G Donovan Mitchell
F DeAndre Hunter
F Evan Mobley
C Jarrett Allen

How to Watch:

The Chicago Bulls begin their 2025-26 preseason campaign on Tuesday against the Cavaliers. Peacock will stream the game, which is set to tip off at 6:00 p.m. CT.

Gamethread: Bulls @ Cavaliers (Preseason) - Oct. 7, 2025