The Chicago Bulls took on the Cleveland Cavaliers for their final preseason game of the 2024-25 season. Of course, this is the preseason, so wins and losses don't really matter. Still, in the end, the Bulls took the win in overtime 139-137. Head coach Billy Donovan was ill, so assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. took the reins. The product looked the same—not much defense and streaky offense—but at least Unseld Jr. is undefeated as a Bulls head coach in preseason games.
First Quarter
The Bulls started strong, hitting their first five shots. Dosunmu and LaVine each sank 3-pointers, and Williams delivered a powerful dunk before White missed a pull-up 3. After a 12-5 run to open the game, Chicago's offense stalled. The Cavaliers rallied to take a 13-12 lead with 7:41 left in the first quarter.
It took almost two more minutes before either team scored again when LaVine hit one of two free throws to tie the game at 13 with 5:50 left in the quarter. However, Cleveland immediately took advantage of Chicago's new defensive strategy of not playing defense and got a quick dunk on the other end. That pattern continued, and the quarter ended with a totally on-purpose bank three by Dosunmu that brought the Bulls within 6 and the Cavaliers leading 31-25. Chicago shot 37% from the field as Cleveland shot 55% from the field and 60% from deep on ten attempts.
Second Quarter
Dosunmu started the second quarter with a three, but the Cavaliers immediately matched with one of their own. The deficit slowly started to grow for Chicago as they continued to have no semblance of a defense and struggled to find any offensive rhythm either. Coby White found a little bit of a spark with back-to-back buckets that brought the Bulls within eight but then he immediately turned the ball over the next time he touched it. You win some, you lose most—it is the Bulls' way. When LaVine came back into the game, he did collect some buckets. Still, when the second quarter ended, Chicago was losing 61-54.
Dosunmu led the way in the first half for the Bulls with 16 points in 17 minutes on 6 of 7 shooting (4/5 from deep). He was joined by LaVine (13) and Williams (10) as the only Chicago players with double-digit points. For the half, the Bulls shot 42% from the field and 32% from three.
Third Quarter
It was almost poetic that Chicago started the second half with two missed threes before Cleveland immediately made one. Whether it was a wide-open three, a wide-open layup, or an easy putback over a Bulls player who wasn't rebounding, the Cavaliers only really missed when they messed up. Cleveland got to a double-digit lead at 75-65 with about six minutes remaining before a Lonzo Ball three and a Julian Phillips put-back dunk brought the Bulls back within five.
Then, Chicago and Cleveland started trading buckets which isn't the best place to be when you're the team losing. Each time the Bulls got closer, the Cavaliers would just hit another open three. However, as the end of the quarter approached, Ball and Dosunmu were feeling their shots, each nailing threes, and a fast-break dunk by Jalen Smith actually gave the Bulls the lead at 92-90 before Cleveland sank a three of their own to take the lead right back. The quarter ended the closest it had been all game with the Cavaliers leading 93-92.
Fourth Quarter
As the fourth quarter started, Matas Buzelis scored to give Chicago the lead again, and then White hit a three to grow the lead to 97-93. It got to a 105-98 Bulls lead with a little over nine minutes left, and then Chicago put in a bunch of reserves so they could see the floor.
The reserves primarily played against Cleveland's starters to close regulation. Honestly, even though Cleveland came back because Donovan Mitchell and company were going to town against guys fighting to make a roster, the back end of the Bulls' bench held their own and forced overtime.
Overtime
Now, both teams had their reserves in to finish the game. Jalen Carter hit a three with just under four minutes to play to give Chicago a 133-130 lead. Then, with just over two minutes remaining, the Cavaliers tied it up and then took the lead at 135-133. With a minute to go, Talen Horton-Tucker hit another deep ball to give the Bulls a one-point lead again after a nasty crossover from Chris Duarte.
Of course, then Duarte committed a reaching foul with just over 30 seconds to go, putting the Bulls over the limit and allowing the Cavaliers to take a 137-136 lead. Carter hit a clutch jumper with 28 seconds left putting Chicago back on top 138-137 and Duarte hit one of two free throws to give the Bulls a 139-137 win.
Key Facts and Figures
Dosunmu led Chicago with 19 points, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. LaVine and Vucevic each scored 18, with Vucevic adding 12 rebounds and six assists. Ball, returning after a two-year absence, scored 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, along with three rebounds and three assists. Smith contributed 14 points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes, a significant performance given Williams' ankle injury during the game.
What's On Tap Next?
The Chicago Bulls open their regular season against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. CDT. Key storylines include how the Bulls will utilize Josh Giddey and manage Lonzo Ball's playing time. Questions remain about Chicago's defensive capabilities. Stay tuned for ongoing Bulls coverage and updates.
