Giddey's Efforts Not Enough as Chicago Bulls Lose Seventh Straight

The Chicago Bulls put up a fight on Sunday afternoon, but it wasn't enough to topple the Eastern Conference-leading 76ers.

Tiago Splitter's squad has now lost seven consecutive games and is 1-8 on the season. Most of those defeats have been blowouts, but Sunday's loss against Philadelphia (9-2) was one of Chicago's better performances of the 2026-27 campaign.

The Bulls lost to the 76ers, 127-121. However, Splitter has a lot he can take away from the effort. Josh Giddey was efficient as both a scorer and passer, finishing with 19 points, 15 assists and seven rebounds. Matas Buzelis shot 6-of-10 — including 3-of-7 from deep — on the way to 19 points. Caleb Wilson went for 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Jalen Smith stuffed the stat sheet as well with 17 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Patrick Williams, who did not play in the first seven games this year, saw nearly 25 minutes of action off the bench.

Nic Claxton made his Bulls debut after a hamstring strain kept him out for the preseason and Chicago's first eight regular season games. The veteran center went 2-of-3 for four points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

Jaylen Brown's 29 points and Tyrese Maxey's 27 led the way for Philadelphia. The biggest difference between the 76ers and Bulls came on the offensive glass, as Philly grabbed 20 offensive boards. Eight of those were from Joel Embiid, who finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Giddey was dealing to open the game, accounting for seven assists and a layup among the Bulls' first 10 baskets. His teammates helped him out as well by knocking down shots, including three triples. Smith's second three-pointer made the score 23-16 and forced 76ers coach Nick Nurse to call a timeout.

Claxton entered the game in the closing minutes of the first quarter, amid a 10-2 Philly run. The Bulls' bench was uninspiring to end the period, but Noa Essengue's offensive rebounding and foul-drawing kept the deficit at one point entering the second.

The Bulls' shooting cooled off, though Wilson and Buzelis made plays to power Chicago's offense. On one possession, Buzelis lost the ball on a drive, but it went directly to Wilson, who slammed home an emphatic dunk. Minutes later, it was Buzelis' turn to bail out Wilson. The rookie missed an isolation jumper against LeBron James, and after Giddey tipped the offensive rebound out to the perimeter, Buzelis knocked down the three-pointer.

Philadelphia went to halftime with a 68-61 lead, despite 35 combined points between Smith, Wilson and Buzelis.

A 7-0 run out of the break, capped off by a Buzelis three-pointer, tied the game at 68. The 76ers remained ahead, though, thanks to a 5-0 third-quarter advantage on the offensive glass.

The Bulls fell down by as many as 12 points, but strong efforts from two-way guard Jordan Hawkins and Essengue pulled Chicago within six at the end of the third. Hawkins made all three of his attempts for six points and Essengue provided capable on-ball defense.

Essengue converted on a three-point play to start the fourth. Williams added a three as well, answering the 76ers' star power with a complementary scoring effort.

The Bulls found contributions from across the board as the game neared its end. Smith blocked Embiid on one end, then Giddey scored a floater on the other. Buzelis viciously swatted former teammate Anfernee Simons and Wilson knocked down a triple.

But for every massive play made by the young Bulls, Philadelphia's experience shone through. Buzelis dunked in transition to make it a three-point game with 1:09 remaining, but the Sixers made their free throws down the stretch to salt the game away.

The Bulls will return to action on Wednesday, when Chicago hosts Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.