Jan. 19, 2026, 7:30 a.m. ET

The Brooklyn Nets (12-28) were coming off a clutch win against the Chicago Bulls (20-22) on Friday and conventional wisdom would suggest that the Nets would be ready for another game to come down to the wire. Brooklyn visited Chicago on the first night of a back-to-back., but they were unable to keep up with the Bulls and their hot shooting.

The Nets lost at the Bulls on Sunday 124-102 in a game where Brooklyn trailed by as many as 27 points in the contest due to everything going wrong in the first half. Rookie guard Nolan Traore led the way for the Nets with 16 points and two assists in what looked like his most confident game of the season while forward Jalen Wilson hopped off the bench for 14 points and five rebounds of his own.

Chicago began this game like their collective hair was on fire as they shot 59.6% from the field and 60.0% from behind the three-point line in the first half, led by guard Coby White and his 24 points to lead both teams in scoring. The Nets have less than 24 hours to get themselves together for a matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Monday, but here are three Nets takeaways from Sunday’s loss at the Bulls:

Nolan Traore Shines

Traore has had a tough month shooting the ball as he seems to struggle from all ranges, especially from behind the three-point line. However, Traore was on fire shooting the ball from deep as he made four of his five attempts and the good news is that he looked confident shooting those shots. Traore was one of the few bright spots in this one as he was efficient on the offensive end and was aggressive driving to the rim, leading to six free-throw attempts as well.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Danny Wolf Steps Up In Starting Lineup

With Michael Porter Jr. out for this game due to rest, Wolf took his place at the small forward spot and he made the most of his minutes as the starter. Wolf was aggressive on the offensive end, especially when driving to the basket, but his three-point shot did not fall for him. Wolf will probably go back to the bench when Porter returns, but his ability to step up when called upon.

Jalen Wilson Was Ready To Play

Speaking of players that are ready to play when their number is called, Wilson is one of the best examples of a player who stays ready so he doesn’t have to get ready. Wilson didn’t shoot the lights out, but he was aggressive with the ball in his hands and he didn’t settle for the three-point shot that he could get at anytime. Wilson seems to be one of the players that could not play when the team is mostly healthy, but head coach Jordi Fernandez has only had good things to say about him and his readiness.