Patrick Williams of the Chicago Bulls returned to action on Friday after missing six of the previous seven games with a sprained left ankle, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Meanwhile, Jalen Smith, who has been dealing with a calf strain, did not play on the second night of the team’s back-to-back.
Josh Giddey also reached a milestone during Friday’s game, recording the 29th triple-double of his career.
According to Cowley in a separate story, that total moves Giddey ahead of franchise icon Michael Jordan on the Bulls’ all-time list.
“Anytime your name is mentioned with people like that, obviously it’s the upper, upper echelon of players, so it’s pretty special and surreal,” the player said.
“But I guess the game has changed and triple-doubles might not be what they are today, but anytime your name is mentioned with greats like that, it’s always an honor and I don’t take it for granted.”
Second-year forward Matas Buzelis has also shown improvement since the All-Star break, becoming a more dependable scoring option.
Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune notes that his progress was highlighted by a career-high 41-point performance in Tuesday’s victory at Golden State.
The strong stretch is encouraging for Chicago, as Buzelis is considered a key piece of the team’s long-term plans.
“I try to come out aggressive every game,” the Lithuanian forward said.
“Good things will happen if you put in the work and you believe in yourself. But you have to put the work in. If you don’t, you’re just cheating yourself.”
Bulls Notes: Ivey, Williams, Giddey, Buzelis https://t.co/C0PrnQ7FbY pic.twitter.com/X5aATgzSbm
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) March 15, 2026
