Bulls notes: Caleb Wilson bounces back in the clutch, Josh Giddey manages a wrist sprain and Dailyn Swain heads for G League minutes

The Bulls won a wild one in Chicago on Friday night, beating the Bucks 132-125 behind 25 points from Norman Powell and a bounce-back game from rookie Caleb Wilson. Here are the notes from the win, via beat writers Joe Cowley, K.C. Johnson, Tony Jones, Joel Lorenzi and Kyle Poe.

Wilson bounces back

Two nights after a rough outing, Wilson was at his best down the stretch, scoring 21 points in the 132-125 win over Milwaukee. Cowley noted the rookie’s response after a quiet performance earlier in the week, while K.C. Johnson pointed to Wilson’s offseason emphasis on his free-throw shooting, which showed up late in the game.

Giddey managing a wrist sprain

Josh Giddey has been playing through a left wrist sprain he suffered in the preseason, an injury the Bulls expect to manage through the 2026-27 season, per Joel Lorenzi. Giddey was listed as probable before being made available Friday. “I haven’t seen it affect his play,” interim coach Tiago Splitter said.

Giddey (minus-15) and Matas Buzelis were both benched down the stretch in favor of Tre Jones (plus-24) and Isaac Okoro. “Cannot say enough about Tre. He changed the game,” Splitter said, adding that he does not plan to change the starting lineup for Saturday’s game against Washington, per Kyle Poe. Buzelis finished 2-of-9 from the field in 17 minutes and did not score in the fourth quarter, a stretch Poe called “genuinely concerning.” Leonard Miller outplayed Buzelis with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 24 minutes, Poe noted, continuing to carve out a role in Chicago after initially being considered a throw-in to last season’s Ayo Dosunmu trade with Minnesota.

Essengue flashes on defense

Noa Essengue had three steals and a block in 17 minutes, and Poe wrote that the rookie has the potential to become the team’s best on-ball defender. “He’s not 18… He’s 19 now,” Jones joked of the French wing.

Swain headed for G League minutes

Dailyn Swain is ticketed for G League minutes, per Joe Cowley. Swain was active Friday but did not play after dealing with an illness earlier in the week, a decision Splitter addressed after the game.