“We played really soft”: Nikola Vucevic, Bulls grind out win over bottom of the barrel Wizards

Saturday had a celebratory feel at United Center as the Bulls paid tribute to six franchise greats during their Ring of Honor Ceremony while also trying to take care of a Washington team near the bottom of the league. The Chicago Bulls escaped with a 121 – 120 finish, the kind of narrow result that is an ugly win but a win nonetheless. Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic did not share that mindset, making it clear that edging out a struggling Washington Wizards squad was far from enough in his view.

He wrapped up the night with 28 points and 12 rebounds, but the numbers did little to soften his mood. Speaking with K. C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network, Vucevic made it clear he was frustrated, a reaction noted by Steph Noh of Sporting News.

Dying at this Nikola Vucevic postgame interview after the Bulls stole a win against the Wizards pic.twitter.com/k4x73Tz8Mn

— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) November 23, 2025

“We didn’t do anything we talked about. We played really soft, it was really bad,” said the Bulls big man. “Obviously, we are happy we won, but we can’t keep doing this; it’s not sustainable. We have to be better.”

Nikola Vucevic’s visible annoyance despite the Bulls win

Vucevic did not hold back when he talked about the team’s effort, describing the first three quarters as soft before noting how the group finally woke up in the fourth and outscored Washington 29 to 22.

The interview itself had a brief interruption when Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith drifted into the frame, both trying to annoy Vucevic. Smith kept joking around behind him until Vucevic told him to cut it out, then he turned his attention back to the conversation.

The Bulls spent most of the night playing from behind and only grabbed control once the fourth quarter arrived. The group looked worn down overall, with injuries thinning the rotation and the grind of five games in seven days clearly taking a toll.

Bulls coming up big in second halves

Chicago has leaned on big second halves more than once this season to pull games out of trouble. Their most dramatic example came on November 4, when the Bulls stormed back from twenty four points down against the Philadelphia 76ers. Vucevic capped that push by knocking down a three that gave Chicago its first lead with a little more than three seconds left, and they held on for a 113 – 111 finish.

The same script played out last Monday against the Denver Nuggets, when the Bulls seized control after the break and pushed ahead by winning the third quarter 40 to 29 before closing out a tight 130 to 127 win.

The Bulls have wrapped up a grueling stretch of five games in seven days, coming away with three wins and two losses to push their record to 9-7. On Monday, they will hit the road to face the New Orleans Pelicans.

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