The Bulls were wobbling.
The lead had vanished.
And the fourth quarter was beginning to feel like one of those moments Chicago has let slip too many times before.
Then Coby White decided it wasn’t happening.
As the 76ers tightened the screws and the game slowed into a possession-by-possession grind, White didn’t force the issue or hunt highlights. He took control with something far more dangerous: calm confidence. One drive. One pull-up. One read at a time, he flipped the rhythm of the game and pulled the Bulls back from the edge.
What followed wasn’t a burst of chaos — it was a surge built on precision.
White attacked mismatches without hesitation, punished defenders who went under screens, and made Philadelphia pay for even the slightest lapse in coverage. Every shot felt deliberate. Every move served a purpose. As the clock ticked down, it became clear the Bulls weren’t just surviving the moment — they were bending it to their will.
And White was the reason.
The 76ers threw different looks at him. He adjusted. They pressured higher. He responded by getting downhill. When help came early, he kicked to open teammates. When it hesitated, he rose up confidently. There was no panic in his game, no sense of rushing to beat the clock.
He looked comfortable where others tightened up.
That poise spread quickly. The Bulls’ defense sharpened. Rotations came faster. Rebounds turned into transition chances. What had been a tense, back-and-forth battle suddenly tilted decisively in Chicago’s favor — not because of a single highlight, but because White kept making the right play at the right time.
This wasn’t reckless scoring.
It was control.
What stood out most was White’s sense of timing. He didn’t try to win the game in two minutes. He understood when to apply pressure and when to let the game breathe. A tough jumper to halt a run. A quick attack to punish a soft switch. A confident three when the defense dared him.
Each basket landed heavier than the last.
Philadelphia felt it. The crowd felt it. And the Bulls played like a team that trusted the man with the ball. When the moment demanded a closer, White answered without theatrics. No over-celebrating. No unnecessary risks. Just execution.
By the final horn, the win was secured — but the meaning went beyond the score.
For years, Coby White has lived in an in-between space. A talented scorer. A capable guard. Sometimes explosive, sometimes inconsistent. Nights like this are different. They change how players are viewed inside locker rooms and around the league.
This was a fourth quarter where White didn’t just score — he led.
He dictated pace. He steadied teammates. He punished mistakes. Those are the traits teams look for when games tighten and margins disappear. It’s one thing to put up numbers when things are flowing. It’s another to take over when nothing comes easily.
Chicago needed someone to grab the moment.
White didn’t wait for it to find him.
That’s why this surge felt like a statement. Not loud. Not flashy. But unmistakable. It suggested growth — the kind that doesn’t show up in a single box score, but lingers in how a team responds to pressure.
The Bulls didn’t win because the 76ers collapsed. They won because Coby White refused to let the game drift away. He made the defense react. He made the moment smaller. And in doing so, he reminded everyone watching that he’s capable of more than sparks.
He’s capable of command.
This was one game on the schedule. One fourth quarter in a long season.
But it felt like something more — a glimpse of what Chicago looks like when Coby White isn’t just part of the offense, but the engine driving it when it matters most.
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