March 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Collin Sexton (2) dribbles down the court against Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn (0) during the first quarter at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Image Collin Sexton scored a season-high 30 points, Tre Jones added 21 and the skeleton crew of the Chicago Bulls held on for a 105-103 victory over the host Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
Guerschon Yabusele had 16 points and Rob Dillingham added 11 off the bench for the Bulls. The Bulls held on after cutting a 12-point lead to one with six minutes left.
Devin Booker had 27 points, Grayson Allen 21 and Jalen Green 12 as the Suns snapped a two-game winning streak and were 7 of 11 in a loss.
The Bulls have lost 12 of 13 games. A 120-97 win over Milwaukee on March 1 extended their undefeated streak to 11 games.
The Suns have won 11 straight in the series.
Sexton’s 3-pointer gave the Bulls their largest lead of the game at 97-85 with 6:14 left before the Suns shut out.
Allen and Amir Coffey (12 points) hit 3-pointers as the Suns cut the deficit to 98-94, and Jones hit a layup to put the Bulls back on top 100-94.
Green hit a layup, Coffey made a free throw and Yabusele’s third 3-pointer pushed the lead to 103-97. Kofi hit a 3-pointer, Jones made a free throw and then Booker’s deep 3-pointer made it 104-103 with 22.9 seconds left.
The Bulls turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds play, and Green missed a driving layup with 5 seconds left. Nick Richards missed his second goal after being fouled on a rebound and attempting a free throw, and the Bulls controlled the loose rebound as time expired.
Chicago attacked the paint against a flexible Suns defense without center Mark Williams, who is expected to miss two to three weeks with a stress reaction in his left foot, the Suns said.
The Bulls had 38 points in the first half and 68 in the paint.
Bulls forward Leonard Miller had eight points and nine rebounds in his first start of the season for Chicago.
The Bulls played without leading scorers Josh Gidey (17.7 points per game) and Matas Bouzelis (15.3 points) (ankle) after suffering an ankle injury Tuesday against Oklahoma City. Buzelis missed the first game of the season.
Sexton was 11 of 19 from the field for his third straight 20-point game as the Bulls shot 47.7% from the field.
The Suns shot 39.1%. Booker, Green, Allen and Colin Gillespie were 21 of 66.
–Field level media
