Okoro's Plus-Minus Says More Than the Box Score in a Bulls Loss

The third-quarter swing. Chicago's 13-0 run flipped an early deficit into a lead, and Memphis answered immediately with a 12-0 run to go up 83-78. It was the fourth straight-scoring run of at least eight points in the game. The Bulls' largest lead was six; the Grizzlies built theirs to 14 in the fourth.

Wilson's 21 and the finish. Wilson led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting, hitting five threes, and pulled Chicago within two on a 26-footer with 55 seconds left. He also finished minus-18, worst on the team, and missed a step-back three at the horn that would have tied it.

Okoro's hidden number. Isaac Okoro didn't post a line in the distributed box score, but he finished plus-25 in 23 minutes, the best figure on either roster. Whatever he did on the floor isn't showing up where fans look first, and it's worth tracking as Splitter sorts his rotation.

Miller's case for minutes. Leonard Miller, working without a starting nod, put up 12 points and 11 rebounds with his plus-minus square at zero in 23 minutes. That's a double-double in a reserve role, and it argues for keeping him in the rotation regardless of who else is healthy.

Who closed the game. In the final five minutes, Splitter went with Drew Peterson, Jalen Bridges, Miller, Noa Essengue and Patrick Williams — no nameplate starter among them. It's preseason, so take it for what it is, but it's a real look at who the staff trusts with the result still live.

Powell's line at the stripe. Norman Powell made 10 of 12 free throws and scored 17 points on just six field-goal attempts in 19 minutes, finishing plus-3. That's the efficient profile Chicago will need from him once these games start counting.

Bench outproduced the start. Reserves scored 40 points to the starters' 57, with Miller, Dailyn Swain and Essengue all contributing offense. Matas Buzelis, working through an ankle issue, managed just 6 points on a team-worst minus-19 in 13 minutes.