Bulls Drop Fifth Straight as Nets Pull Away 123-115

Nic Claxton scored 28 points on a ruthlessly efficient 12-of-15 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds while Nolan Traore dished out 13 assists as the Brooklyn Nets pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat the Chicago Bulls 123-115 on Monday night at Barclays Center. Noah Clowney added 22 points on four three-pointers for Brooklyn, which shot 51% from the field and 48% from beyond the arc to snap out of a difficult stretch and win its second straight game.

Chicago dropped to 24-30 with its fifth consecutive loss despite 23 points and seven assists from Anfernee Simons and 21 points off the bench from Collin Sexton. The Bulls led after the first quarter and battled back to a 89-89 tie heading into the fourth, but Brooklyn outscored them 34-26 in the final period behind Claxton's dominance and a decisive advantage in three-point shooting. The Nets improved to 15-37 on the season.

Brooklyn's Three-Point Barrage Sinks Bulls in the Fourth

The game was there for the taking. Chicago trailed by six at halftime after Brooklyn's 33-point second quarter, but the Bulls responded with a 35-29 third period to pull even at 89 heading into the final frame. But the fourth quarter told a familiar story for Chicago, as the Nets pulled away behind their scorching shooting from deep. Brooklyn finished the game 12-of-25 from three-point range (48%) compared to Chicago's 10-of-36 (28%), a gap that proved decisive down the stretch.

Claxton was the driving force for Brooklyn, converting at an 80% clip from the field while adding four assists and 10 rebounds for a commanding double-double. Traore's 13 assists orchestrated the Nets' attack effectively all night, and the Brooklyn bench outperformed Chicago's reserves with Drake Powell contributing 14 points and Ziaire Williams adding 11. The Nets dominated inside with 66 points in the paint compared to Chicago's 50, and held a 22-12 advantage in fast break points, exploiting the Bulls' defensive breakdowns in transition throughout the contest.

Retooled Roster Continues to Search for Consistency

The Bulls' trade deadline acquisitions continued to show flashes in their third game together, but the inconsistency that has plagued the new-look roster remained evident in Brooklyn. Simons led the team with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting and distributed seven assists, though he turned the ball over five times and shot just 2-of-9 from three-point range. Jaden Ivey finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and three steals in 24 minutes but was limited in the fourth quarter, logging just one minute in the final period. Matas Buzelis scored 10 of his 18 points during a strong third quarter but managed just six on 2-of-5 shooting as the game slipped away in the fourth.

Collin Sexton provided a spark off the bench with 21 points in 32 minutes, while Nick Richards added 12 points and six rebounds as the backup center. Chicago's bench collectively shot 18-of-41 from the field, and the team recorded 13 steals as a unit, but it wasn't enough to offset Brooklyn's shooting advantage. The Bulls continue to play without Josh Giddey and Tre Jones—both sidelined with hamstring injuries—leaving Donovan short on playmaking options as the team struggles to find defensive cohesion and late-game execution.

Looking Ahead

The Bulls head to Boston on Wednesday night for a 6:30 p.m. CT matchup against the Celtics, who sit tied with New York atop the Atlantic Division at 34-19. It doesn't get any easier for Chicago as it looks to snap the five-game skid against one of the Eastern Conference's top teams. At 24-30 and sitting 16 games behind division-leading Detroit, the Bulls' focus increasingly shifts toward development and building chemistry with the retooled roster. Brooklyn, meanwhile, hosts Indiana on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET looking to extend its winning streak to three games.