Coach Tiago Splitter's Chicago Bulls are 1-5 on the young NBA season after a frustrating 125-111 road loss to the Boston Celtics that included more than a few nightmare moments.

The Bulls were led in scoring by rookie forward Caleb Wilson, who dropped 23 points in a losing effort as the Celtics got 56 points combined from forward Jayson Tatum and point guard Peyton Pritchard.

Afterward, Wilson was in a no-nonsense mood as he described his feelings about losing another game. 

Wilson questioned the Bulls' effort in a series of comments as he vented his frustrations. He painted the Bulls' alleged weakness, youth, as a strength.  

"I just feel like we laid down," Wilson said to reporter Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. 

"I feel like there just wasn't a competitive spirit. We're young, and that's going to be our advantage the whole year. If we're not going to play hard, it's not going to work. We're going to lose every game." 

Wilson has averaged 20.8 points per game and seven rebounds per game so far this season, showing a maturity, basketball IQ, and leadership skills beyond his years.

While he didn't lead former North Carolina coach Hubert Davis' team to a national championship during his one and only season in Chapel Hill, NC, he is starting to show the type of competitive fire, anticipation skills, and winner's mentality typically only seen by rare rookies in the class of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and other NCAA title game participants. 

Wilson made several "wow" plays during the game, including one sequence where he fell down on defense near the three-point arc, surveyed the court, got up from the ground and snagged a pass intended for the corner of the court.

He then drove the ball back down to the other end and attempted a long-range shot that he missed. It was rebounded and scored by Jalen Smith, showing that Wilson's teammates have his back and respond to his efforts. 

Splitter echoed Wilson's concerns with comments also shared by Lorenzi that were curt and poignant in nature. 

"We can't choose when we want to play," Splitter said after losing his fifth game in six tries as the Bulls' head coach.  

Bulls point guard Josh Giddey's play may have factored into both Wilson and Splitter's comments after the game as one sequence saw Giddey commit two turnovers in a row, failing to challenge shots on ensuing possessions as the Celtics scored five quick points.

Bulls forward Matas Buzelis also failed to prevent a much smaller Pritchard from getting an offensive rebound, showing the kind of lackluster play that doomed the young Bulls in their NBA Cup matchup. 

Chicago has two days off before Monday, Nov. 2's game against the Philadelphia 76ers, a chance for Splitter to reiterate his principles to the team in hopes of a better performance.