Bulls 124, Suns 117: Chicago’s Balanced Attack Overpowers Phoenix at Home

The Chicago Bulls opened their home slate with a 124-117 win over the Phoenix Suns, using a balanced scoring effort and a dominant third quarter to hold off a Devin Booker-led rally. Five Bulls finished in double figures, and Chicago never trailed after the midway point of the second quarter.

Coby White led the way with 27 points, while Josh Giddey flirted with a triple-double and Matas Buzelis delivered his best all-around performance of the young season. Phoenix got 31 points from Booker and 24 from Jalen Green, but the Suns’ supporting cast could not keep pace down the stretch.

Match Overview

• Final: Chicago Bulls 124, Phoenix Suns 117
• Venue: United Center, Chicago
• Date: October 8, 2026
• Leading scorers: Coby White (CHI) 27 points; Devin Booker (PHX) 31 points

The game carried the feel of a track meet early, with both teams pushing pace off made baskets. Chicago’s edge came on the glass and at the defensive end in the third quarter, when the Bulls turned a three-point halftime lead into a 16-point cushion before Phoenix’s late push.

Quarter-by-Quarter Scoring

• First quarter: Bulls 33, Suns 27
• Second quarter: Suns 32, Bulls 29 — Bulls led 62-59 at halftime
• Third quarter: Bulls 30, Suns 27 — Bulls led 92-86
• Fourth quarter: Bulls 32, Suns 31

Key Moments

Chicago’s decisive stretch came in the opening six minutes of the third quarter. The Bulls opened the half with a 15-4 run built on Giddey’s transition passing, Buzelis’s weak-side cuts, and three straight defensive stops against Booker pick-and-roll actions. Phoenix burned a timeout trailing 77-63, and the Suns spent the rest of the night chasing.

Phoenix clawed back behind Green, who scored 11 points in a four-minute burst late in the fourth to trim the deficit to 116-111. Chicago answered with the most reliable possession of its night: White dribbled down the clock, rejected a screen, and pulled up from 17 feet to push the lead back to seven. Ayo Dosunmu sealed it with two free throws after drawing a foul on a baseline drive.

Tactical Story

The Bulls won this game with pace, spacing, and rebounding. Chicago finished with 31 assists on 46 made field goals, repeatedly finding shooters out of drive-and-kick actions, and out-rebounded Phoenix 52-44 — including 14 offensive boards that produced 18 second-chance points.

Defensively, the Bulls made a clear choice: let Booker get his points but take away the easy ones for everyone else. Booker needed 26 shot attempts for his 31 points, and Phoenix’s bench was largely neutralized until Grayson Allen’s fourth-quarter flurry. Chicago also forced 16 Suns turnovers, converting them into 22 points.

Phoenix’s best stretches came when it played through Mark Williams in the paint and used Green as a secondary creator. The Suns shot 46.7% from the field but managed only 8-of-32 from three-point range, a 25% clip that left too much work for Booker in isolation.

Standout Players

• Coby White (CHI): 27 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds; 5-of-11 from three-point range.
• Josh Giddey (CHI): 18 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists — a triple-double that set the tone in transition.
• Matas Buzelis (CHI): 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and the defensive versatility that defined Chicago’s third-quarter run.
• Nikola Vucevic (CHI): 16 points and 11 rebounds, including four offensive boards in the first half.
• Ayo Dosunmu (CHI): 14 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting.
• Devin Booker (PHX): 31 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds; 11-of-26 from the floor.
• Jalen Green (PHX): 24 points, 5 assists, and the fourth-quarter burst that made it a game.
• Mark Williams (PHX): 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a physical interior matchup.

Season Impact

The win gives Chicago an early home result to build on and reinforces the identity the Bulls have been constructing: a fast, unselfish team that shares the ball and crashes the offensive glass. Giddey’s triple-double and Buzelis’s two-way growth are the most encouraging signs for a roster that needs internal development rather than outside help.

Phoenix, meanwhile, leaves with a familiar question. Booker and Green combined for 55 points, but the Suns need more consistent spacing and secondary scoring when opposing defenses load up on the perimeter. A 25% night from beyond the arc on 32 attempts is not sustain