Bulls Crashing The Glass As Collins Leads 109-102 Victory Over 76ers

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The Chicago Bulls stretched their NBA winning streak to five games with a 109-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, climbing to ninth in the Eastern Conference and returning to a 15-15 record, as Zach Collins highlighted improved work on the boards after Jalen Smith’s decisive dunk on Joel Embiid sparked the closing surge.

Chicago again relied on balanced scoring rather than one dominant star, with Collins and Tre Jones each posting 15 points, while Coby White added 13 and Josh Giddey contributed 12, and Jones also collected six rebounds as the Bulls closed out the contest by locking in defensively during the final minutes.

The Bulls held Philadelphia to 37.6% shooting from the field, and the 76ers missed their final six attempts, which underlined how a Chicago side not usually described as defence-first managed to out-work the visitors, with role players contesting shots, chasing loose balls and finishing possessions on the defensive glass.

Despite the win, Collins pointed to areas still needing improvement, especially for White and Giddey, who combined to shoot 7-for-24, yet Collins stressed that collective effort mattered most during this stretch. "Even if we lost a couple [of games], we were still trending in the right direction," Collins said.

Collins expanded on how the group has shifted its mentality during this five-game sequence, explaining: "Everybody's kind of having a good run right now. We're crashing the glass a little bit more, just playing a little bit harder and, obviously, that's easier when things are going well. We're winning games and the vibes are high. So we just got to make sure we keep doing those things here."

Jones drew further praise from Collins for managing key late possessions and steadying the Bulls’ offence. "You just got to give all the credit to [Jones'] IQ," Collins said. "He knows where to be in those moments, and [Donovan] puts a lot of trust in him."

The Bulls’ current five-game run matches their 5-0 start to the 2025-26 season, which had been their strongest opening since 1996-97, yet that bright beginning was followed by a seven-game losing skid between November and December, and with the Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans ahead, Chicago’s focus stays firmly on sustaining this renewed form.