Wilson's Late Three Not Enough as Grizzlies Close It at the…

By the Bulls Nightly Desk · Saturday, October 10

Caleb Wilson's three with 55 seconds left cut Memphis's lead to two, but Javon Small's free throws with no time showing closed it out 104-100. The preseason mark means nothing for the standings, but Tiago Splitter's closing lineup and a new Buzelis injury are worth tracking.

Bulls Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

How It Ended. Wilson's 26-foot three made it 102-100 with 55 seconds left. Memphis missed a long pullup, Chicago couldn't convert on the other end, and Jalen Bridges fouled Javon Small with no time on the clock. Small made both free throws for the final 104-100.

Wilson's Rough Edges. 21 points on 7-for-17 shooting, 5-for-11 from three, is a real number for a rookie. Four turnovers and a minus-18 in 32 minutes are the other side of that line, and Splitter will want both to sit next to each other when he reviews this one.

Powell Earns His Minutes. Norman Powell scored 17 points in 19 minutes, going 10-for-12 at the line, and finished a plus-3 in a game the bench group largely lost. Efficient, low-mileage, exactly what a 33-year-old veteran is supposed to look like in October.

Miller's Workload Keeps Growing. Leonard Miller put up 12 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in 23 minutes, even on the night. His minutes climbed to 28.8 a night over his last 10 games last season, and Wednesday looked like more of the same trend.

Buzelis Joins the Report. Matas Buzelis is now day-to-day with a right ankle issue, expected back October 11 — the same date as the trip to Denver. He finished minus-19 in 13 minutes before coming out.

No Starters Closing. Splitter's lineup for the final five minutes was Drew Peterson, Jalen Bridges, Leonard Miller, Noa Essengue and Patrick Williams — no Giddey, no Powell, no Wilson. That's a preseason roster experiment, not a hierarchy, but it's one more data point on who he trusts late.

Local Take. The Chicago Sun-Times framed Wednesday's frontcourt health report as throwing cold water on preseason fun, grouping Claxton's hamstring with Buzelis' new ankle issue. Six players carry a day-to-day tag; five share the same return date.

On deck The Bulls play at Denver on October 11 (ESPN), then at Milwaukee on the 14th and host Minnesota on the 16th before the preseason closes out. The regular-season opener is October 21 at Toronto.

Does the loss to Memphis count toward the Bulls' record?

No. Preseason games don't count, so Chicago is still 0-0 ahead of the October 21 opener at Toronto.

What is Matas Buzelis' injury status?

He is day-to-day with a right ankle issue and is expected back October 11, the date of the Bulls' preseason game at Denver.