Pure bliss turned into pure agony for the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

With the San Antonio Spurs in town, fans at the United Center were undoubtedly stunned to see the Bulls up by as much as 22 points in the first half. They were shooting lights out from all areas of the floor, which included repeatedly finding success at the rim despite the presence of Victor Wembanyama.

Nevertheless, Chicago's youth reared its ugly head yet again in the second half. The Spurs would go on to steal the game, 124-119, feasting on turnovers and second-chance points. A game like this is bound to have plenty of good and bad, so let's review the key performances by handing out some player grades.

6 Chicago Bulls Player Grades (November 11, 2026)

Jalen Smith – A
Stats: 23 PTS (8-9 FG, 5-5 3PA), 4 REB, 3 AST

Start the Jalen Smith All-Star campaign now! The big man has continued to impress this season, and he essentially did exactly what the Bulls needed him to do on Wednesday. With Victor Wembanyama standing on the other side of the ball, this group needed to space the floor and force the big man to guard the perimeter. Smith did that to the tune of a season-high five threes. The Bulls would go on to shoot 22-30 from the restricted area, which included a 10-11 showing in the first quarter.

Smith was also part of the Bulls' decisive decision-making and showed zero fear when trying to attack Wemby, even if the results were mixed. At the end of the day, this is why Bryson Graham is going to have set a pretty high bar when the inevitable trade talks arise.

Nic Claxton – B+
Stats: 17 PTS (5-6 FG, 7-9 FT), 6 REB, 1 BLK

With it being only Nic Claxton's second game in a Bulls uniform, it's impossible to consider this anything but an encouraging night. While he played fewer than 16 minutes, he still managed to make a significant impact around the rim. The long center was physical with the Spurs' frontcourt and impressed with his ability to get to the free throw line. We also saw him have a couple of nice finishes from the dunker spot after some driving Bulls found him for the dump-off.

If you're Tiago Splitter, you leave this game excited about what Claxton can do for you once his minutes restriction is officially lifted.

THIS SEQUENCE BY NIC CLAXTON 🔥

Huge block + and-1 on the other end pic.twitter.com/gRf3UBeQjp

— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) November 12, 2026

Patrick Williams – B
Stats: 9 PTS, (4-4 FG), 7 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK

Who is this Patrick Williams!? After sitting the first seven games, Williams has continued to give his new head coach a reason to keep him in the rotation. No, he isn't dropping any jaws, but he has provided a very balanced and mature presence for this young roster.

Williams is taking the opportunities that come to him offensively and using his strength to do some of the dirty work around the rim. We also saw him do a surprisingly good job finding his teammates for easy looks at the rim. If you're Williams, this is the exact kind of game you'd love to replicate at an increasing rate.

Jordan Hawkins – C
Stats: 7 PTS (3-8 FG), 4 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL

Jordan Hawkins has something that Tiago Splitter clearly likes. The two-way guard played 24+ minutes against the Spurs, maintaining his spot ahead of Buddy Hield in the current rotation. Would the Bulls love to see him shoot better than 1-5 from downtown? Absolutely, but Hawkins has done a decent job playing an active brand of basketball in these last few games.

It's also easy to forget that he has pretty decent positional size, and he used that to his advantage to force a couple of turnovers on Wednesday.

Matas Buzelis – C-
Stats: 13 PTS (5-12 FG, 3-7 3PT), 2 AST, 3 REB

A frustrated Matas Buzelis sulked in his chair during his postgame talk with reporters, and it's not hard to see why. The forward was a genuinely important part of the Bulls' hot start. He was knocking down his open jumpers, hauling in a couple of big rebounds, and helping ensure the offense always stayed in motion.

Fast forward to the second half, and Buzelis provided the exact opposite. He didn't make a single basket and turned the ball over five times (for a total of six). He said after the game that San Antonio was able to claw their way back in because of him, and he may not be far off.

Josh Giddey – D+
Stats: 9 PTS (4-9 FG. 1-3 3PT), 7 AST, 2 REB

After taking a step forward against the Philadelphia 76ers, Josh Giddey reverted to his old ways. The guard failed to outduel this talented and loaded Spurs frontcourt, turning the ball over a concerning seven times. With Victor Wembanyama in the mix, there were also far fewer opportunities for him to attack the basket and create from the paint.