The Washington Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 124-120 on Saturday at United Center, riding a dominant third quarter to overcome an early deficit. Trae Young finished with 25 points and nine assists as Washington improved to 2-1.
Chicago controlled much of the first half and led by as many as 10 points, but the Wizards turned the game with their third-quarter surge, outscoring the Bulls 40-20 in the period. Caleb Wilson led all scorers with 30 points and 14 rebounds for Chicago, which fell to 1-2 despite outshooting Washington from the free-throw line and generating 34 fast-break points.
Key Moments And How Washington Took Control
Chicago built its advantage behind a 15-5 run in the first quarter that featured dunks from Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis plus a three-pointer from Norman Powell, pushing the lead to 9-17. Washington answered with a late first-quarter push, tying the game at 26 on an Alex Sarr hook shot before Chicago closed the opening period on top 28-27.
The Bulls stretched their lead to 10 points in the second quarter, but Kyshawn George’s string of buckets, including an 11-foot jumper and a driving floater, helped Washington crawl back into the game. The Wizards trailed 60-57 at halftime before the third-quarter swing flipped the game. Washington scored 40 points in the third quarter, built on a mix of paint scoring and perimeter shooting, to take control. The Wizards held the largest lead of the night at 21 points, while Chicago’s biggest lead was 10.
Chicago tried to rally in the fourth quarter, outscoring Washington 38-27 in the final period, but the deficit built in the third quarter proved too large to overcome.
Top Performers
Young led Washington with 25 points on 6-of-13 shooting, adding nine assists and four rebounds in 34 minutes. George contributed 22 points, five assists and nine rebounds in 36 minutes off the bench, finishing a team-best plus-14. Justin Champagnie grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for the Wizards to go with 11 points, and Anthony Davis added 19 points and eight rebounds.
Wilson paced Chicago with 30 points and 14 rebounds in 38 minutes, shooting 10 of 24 from the field. Buzelis scored 21 points, and Josh Giddey recorded a team-high 10 assists with nine points and eight rebounds. Powell scored 18 points and went 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.
What It Means
Washington improved to 2-1 and sits tied atop the Southeast Division standings with Atlanta and Charlotte, each at 2-1. The Wizards lead the season series with Chicago 1-0. Washington shot 48% from the field and 86% from the free-throw line, outscoring the Bulls 62-54 in points in the paint while winning the rebounding battle 48-44.
Chicago dropped to 1-2 and sits fourth in the Central Division, 1.5 games behind division-leading Detroit. The Bulls’ 34 fast-break points reflected an uptempo push, but 10 steals did not translate into enough extra possessions to overcome Washington’s third-quarter burst. Chicago also committed two technical fouls compared with one for Washington.
What’s Next
Washington’s next game and Chicago’s next opponent were not listed in the official data for this recap.
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