NBA

Chicago Bulls at Brooklyn Nets

· National Basketball Association
3-3, 2-2 Away
Final
112 - 120

3-3, 2-1 Home

Can Thomas scores 32 points in the Nets' 120-112 victory over the Bulls

Ben Simmons shows off vision with half-court dime

Thomas scored eight straight points to give the Nets a 118-109 lead with 1:52 left.

Cam Johnson added 14 points in Brooklyn's second straight victory. Nic Claxton and Keon Johnson each had 12 points, and Ben Simmons had eight points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.

Nikola Vucevic led Chicago with 28 points on 10-of-11 shooting and had 11 rebounds. Zach LaVine and Coby White each added 21 points, with White going 5 of 9 from 3-point range.

Takeaways Bulls: Chicago trailed by 10 in the third quarter with 9:35 minutes remaining before outscoring the Nets 30-17, thanks to 13 points from Vucevic.

Nets: Thomas entered the day as the NBA’s leader in fourth-quarter points with an average of 12.2.

Key moment Brooklyn led by a point with 4:03 left when Thomas outscored the Bulls 10-2 to extend the lead 118-109. Thomas hit a pair of free throws and followed LaVine’s layup with a layup of his own to make 112-109. He then hit a 3-pointer on Brooklyn’s following possession off Ayo Dosunmu's miss. Chicago missed its next three shots as Thomas hit a 3 to seal.

Key stat Vucevic flirted with perfections, hitting his first 10 shots from the field. His only miss was a 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter.

Up next The Nets host Detroit on Sunday, while the Bulls return home to face Utah on Monday night.

Regular Season Series

BKN leads series 1-0

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 112 - 120
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 112 - 120
4th 10.1 shot clock turnover 112 - 120
4th 28.2 Talen Horton-Tucker enters the game for Nikola Vucevic 112 - 120
4th 28.2 Ayo Dosunmu enters the game for Zach LaVine 112 - 120

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/chi.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCHI https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/bkn.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originBKN
38-88 FG 49-94
43.2 Field Goal % 52.1
17-44 3PT 11-36
38.6 Three Point % 30.6
19-24 FT 11-13
79.2 Free Throw % 84.6
44 Rebounds 46
10 Offensive Rebounds 9
34 Defensive Rebounds 37
24 Assists 34
5 Steals 11
3 Blocks 6
16 Turnovers 10
0 Team Turnovers 1
16 Total Turnovers 11
0 Technical Fouls 0
0 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
13 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 14
10 Fast Break Points 19
40 Points in Paint 66
15 Fouls 20
4 Largest Lead 17
Brooklyn Nets Brooklyn Nets Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Tyson Etienne, G Day-To-Day Jul 22
Noah Clowney, F Day-To-Day Jul 3
Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Noa Essengue, F Day-To-Day Jul 19
Ayo Dosunmu, SG Day-To-Day Jul 3

Game Information

Barclays Center

Location: Brooklyn, NY
Attendance: 17,977 · Capacity:

2025-26 Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Chicago 0 0 .000 - -
Cleveland 0 0 .000 - -
Detroit 0 0 .000 - -
Indiana 0 0 .000 - -
Milwaukee 0 0 .000 - -

2025-26 Atlantic Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Boston 0 0 .000 - -
Brooklyn 0 0 .000 - -
New York 0 0 .000 - -
Philadelphia 0 0 .000 - -
Toronto 0 0 .000 - -
Full Standings

NBA News

NBA's Silver says new European league could start in '27 or '28

NBA's Silver says new European league could start in '27 or '28

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the new European basketball league the NBA and FIBA have been working on could begin play in 2027 or 2028.

Chiney wants Warriors to get a deal done with Kuminga

Chiney wants Warriors to get a deal done with Kuminga

Chiney Ogwumike explains why she doesn't like the ongoing stalemate between the Warriors and restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.

NBA Future Power Rankings: New three-year outlooks for all 30 teams

NBA Future Power Rankings: New three-year outlooks for all 30 teams

Where could the next three seasons take your favorite team? Our NBA insiders are mapping out the futures of all 30.

Fantasy basketball: Where does Stephen Curry rank in roto and category leagues?

Fantasy basketball: Where does Stephen Curry rank in roto and category leagues?

Updated fantasy basketball rankings for roto and category leagues, including where Stephen Curry lands in the top 150.

Hawks trading Kobe Bufkin to Nets for cash, sources say

Hawks trading Kobe Bufkin to Nets for cash, sources say

The Atlanta Hawks are trading guard Kobe Bufkin to the Brooklyn Nets for cash considerations, sources told ESPN.