For weeks, it felt like the Chicago Bulls had forgotten how to win a basketball game. Loss after loss piled up, confidence eroded, and frustration became the soundtrack of their season. Then Friday night happened. In a dramatic 129–126 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, the Bulls didn’t just snap a brutal seven-game losing streak — they rediscovered belief, urgency, and perhaps most importantly, trust in each other.
The box score tells one story. The final 10 seconds tell another.
With Chicago clinging to a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Zach Collins was whistled for a foul on Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel as he launched a potential go-ahead three-pointer. United Center held its breath. Three free throws would likely swing the game — and extend the Bulls’ misery. Instead, what followed became the defining moment of Chicago’s night, and possibly its season.
Head coach Billy Donovan immediately challenged the call, setting off a tense, prolonged video review. The decision wasn’t universally supported on the floor. Even Coby White, the Bulls’ emotional engine, admitted afterward he wasn’t convinced.
“I was indifferent,” White said, via Sam Smith of NBA.com. “I didn’t know if it was a foul or not.”
But Collins was convinced. Adamant. Unwavering. And when the officials overturned the call, that conviction paid off. Chicago got the ball back. Moments later, White was fouled, calmly knocked down two free throws, and sealed a win that felt far bigger than the standings suggested.
“Great challenge,” White said. “Shoutout to A. Reilly (video coordinator Alex Reilly) who does the challenges for us — big time challenge.”
Then came the real revelation.
“I was leaning more toward foul,” White added. “Zach was adamant about him not fouling, and he proved everyone wrong.”
In a season defined by doubt, that moment mattered. A teammate standing his ground. A coach trusting his staff. A star guard trusting the process. The Bulls didn’t just win a challenge — they won together.
White finished with 20 points and five rebounds, doing so while trade rumors continued to swirl around his name, including whispers linking him to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yet none of that showed on the court. If anything, White looked locked in, steady, and defiant.
The win itself was a true collective effort. Six Bulls scored in double figures, underscoring a team-wide response to adversity. Josh Giddey led the charge with a near triple-double — 26 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds — controlling the tempo and injecting much-needed composure. Collins backed up his late-game heroics with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Patrick Williams matched that scoring output and added five boards of his own.
Isaac Okoro chipped in 15 points, Nikola Vucevic contributed 13, and rookie Matas Buzelis added 10. Off the bench, Jalen Smith provided a spark on the glass, hauling in a game-high 10 rebounds and giving Chicago extra possessions when they desperately needed them.
Was it perfect? No. Was it pretty? Not always. But for a team drowning in losses, it was real.
One challenge. One overturned call. One collective exhale.
The Bulls may not be “fixed,” but Friday night proved something vital: they’re not broken either. And if one voice — Zach Collins insisting “I didn’t foul” — can change the outcome of a game, it raises a tantalizing question for Chicago fans.
What else could change if this team finally starts believing again?
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