The Chicago Bulls’ downward spiral has hit rock bottom. What was once a promising start to the 2025-26 NBA season has devolved into a pitiful display of inconsistency, defensive lapses, and outright softness. On November 28, the Bulls squandered yet another winnable game, falling 123-116 to the lowly Charlotte Hornets—a team mired in the Eastern Conference basement with a dismal 5-14 record before the matchup. This loss marks Chicago’s ninth defeat in 18 games, leaving them at a mediocre 9-9 and clinging to relevance in a competitive conference. If this doesn’t scream free-fall, nothing does.
The game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte was a microcosm of the Bulls’ season-long woes. The Hornets, riding a seven-game losing streak and averaging just 115.3 points per game (20th in the NBA), exploded offensively right out of the gate. They dropped 32 points in the first quarter and followed it up with 35 in the second, building a commanding lead that Chicago could never fully erase. The Bulls mounted a brief comeback in the third quarter, thanks to a 14-point outburst from guard Coby White, but their fourth-quarter collapse was inevitable. Outrebounded overall and allowing five offensive boards in the final frame alone, Chicago’s lack of physicality was on full display.
Standout performances couldn’t salvage the night for the Bulls. Josh Giddey flirted with a triple-double, posting 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists on efficient 8-of-16 shooting. White matched Giddey’s scoring output with 25 points of his own, while center Nikola Vucevic contributed a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds. Bench spark came from Tre Jones, who added 16 points and 5 steals. But these individual efforts were overshadowed by the team’s collective failures—particularly on defense, where they allowed the Hornets to shoot 45.4% from the field and 33.3% from three.
On the other side, Charlotte’s young guns feasted. Brandon Miller led all scorers with 27 points, including 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, while Miles Bridges chipped in 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Collin Sexton provided a bench boost with 21 points, helping the Hornets snap their skid and celebrate like they’d won the lottery. The Hornets’ victory was as much about their opportunistic play as it was about Chicago’s glaring deficiencies.
Coach Billy Donovan didn’t mince words post-game, echoing the growing sentiment that his squad is “soft”—a label that’s stuck after repeated failures against physical or opportunistic opponents. “It’s a mentality,” Donovan said. “They just got to do it, and they’ve got to do it when they don’t feel good.” He pointed to the absence of defender Isaac Okoro, sidelined with a back injury, as a factor that exposed the team’s lack of depth. Without Okoro, who can lock down elite scorers, the Bulls were left scrambling and unable to rely on a single stopper. This loss follows a similar embarrassment against the New Orleans Pelicans, where Chicago surrendered 143 points to one of the league’s worst offenses.
This defeat also officially eliminated the Bulls from advancing in Group C of the NBA Cup Tournament, turning what should have been a high-stakes contest into a meaningless pride game—one they still couldn’t muster the grit to win. The Hornets, eliminated themselves, played with the desperation of a team fighting for respect, while Chicago looked disinterested and disjointed.
Looking ahead, the Bulls’ schedule offers a brief reprieve with softer matchups: two games against the two-win Indiana Pacers, a home tilt with Brooklyn, and a road trip to Orlando. But December ramps up with back-to-backs against Cleveland and Atlanta, followed by a six-game homestand featuring powerhouses like Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Orlando again. If Chicago doesn’t address their defensive frailties and mental toughness soon, this free-fall could turn into a full-blown crash.
Fans in the Windy City are growing restless. With a roster boasting talent like Giddey, White, and Vucevic, excuses are wearing thin. The Bulls need to rediscover their edge—or risk becoming the NBA’s latest punchline. The free-fall is complete; now, it’s time to see if they can climb back up.