CHICAGO — The Phoenix Suns rolled into town expecting an easy night against a battered, tanking Chicago Bulls squad. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and the rest of the desert crew figured they’d just coast to a win while the Bulls mailed it in for lottery positioning.
Somebody forgot to tell the guys in red.
With Josh Giddey sidelined after rolling his ankle against the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder two nights earlier, the Bulls still found a way — and the hero nobody saw coming was a 22-year-old South Australian two-way forward who turned 17 minutes into pure chaos.
Enter Lachlan Olbrich.
The former Illawarra Hawk and freshly minted 2025 NBL champion stepped onto the Mortgage Matchup Center floor and did things that had Suns fans checking their rosters twice. Four points might not sound like much… until you add six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a defensive presence that disrupted everything Phoenix tried to run through Durant.
Olbrich went 2-of-6 from the field, stayed even in the plus-minus column, and basically told the two-time NBA scoring champion and his superstar teammates: “Not tonight.”
Final score? Bulls 105, Suns 103.
Yes, you read that right. The same Bulls team that has been written off all season, the same Bulls missing their starting point guard and dealing with a laundry list of injuries, just notched their second win in three games — and did it by beating a legitimate playoff contender.
Giddey’s ankle is considered day-to-day and not serious, but for one night Chicago proved they don’t need their Aussie star to compete. They needed heart, hustle, and a kid from South Australia who’s still eligible for the final 19 regular-season games on his two-way deal.
This was Olbrich’s 20th appearance of the season, and you can bet Billy Donovan is already circling more minutes for the 6-foot-10 forward who plays like he’s got something to prove. Six rebounds and two steals in 17 minutes? That’s not just “filling in.” That’s impact.
While the national spotlight was on whether Chicago would tank its way to a better draft pick, the players clearly didn’t get the memo. They’re still fighting. They’re still winning. And on Thursday night, they had an unlikely hero in a No. 22 jersey doing the dirty work that KD and Co. couldn’t handle.
Meanwhile, across the league, fellow Aussie Joe Ingles sat out Minnesota’s 115-107 win over Toronto for personal reasons, watching Anthony Edwards drop 22 as the Timberwolves stayed red-hot.
But tonight belonged to Chicago. Tonight belonged to Lachlan Olbrich.
No Giddey? No problem.
The kid from Down Under just reminded the entire NBA: never count out the Bulls when they’ve got something — or someone — to prove.