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Bulls Win 4th Straight In Celebratory Week For Chicago
Derrick Rose jersey retirement, Frank Nazar and Josh Giddey return, and more
Kyle Baum
January 26, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
GOOD MORNING, CHICAGO FANS
I hope you had as exciting of a week as Chicago sports!
Talk about a cohesive celebration amongst players and fans alike. Jonathan Toews was honored in his return, Caleb Williams and Pete Crow-Armstrong toured the other teams in town, Derrick Rose’s jersey was retired, and the Bulls even hit two game-winners! Chicago is unified right now 🤲
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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
21-23-8 (50 PTS) | 6TH IN CENTRAL |
W - BLACKHAWKS 2 JETS 0
WHY SO SERIOUS?
Spencer Knight made 32 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season!
Jason Dickinson fooled Connor Hellebuyck on a quick wrist shot for their only goal before facing an extra attacker
Connor Bedard scored the empty netter and created a ton of good scoring chances the rest of the game
W - BLACKHAWKS 4 HURRICANES 3 (F/SO)
FOREVER 21
Oliver Moore scored the shootout winner on his 21st birthday after recording an assist and dropping the gloves to stand up for Nick Lardis
Hawks scored in each period and gave up the lead each time
Hawks killed all 5 penalties and scored a shorthanded goal (Mikheyev)
L - LIGHTNING 2 BLACKHAWKS 1 (F/SO)
ALMOST STRIKES TWICE
Hawks almost pulled off 2 straight upset wins despite only having 18 shots on goal
Arvid Soderblom saved 30 of 31 shots and gave them a chance!
Ryan Greene scored the lone Hawks goal - his 3rd goal in his last 7 games
L - PANTHERS 5 BLACKHAWKS 1
SLIPPED INTO THE KNIGHT
All the Hawks’ momentum slipped away with 4 3rd period goals for the Panthers
Knight started strong but let a couple softer goals through
Hawks lone goal was impressive: Wyatt Kaiser kept it in the zone, Mikheyev shot it towards the net, Bertuzzi snagged it in front of the goalie and scored
STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Ilya Mikheyev
1 goal and 3 assists (4 points) on 6 shots, 1 shorthanded goal
PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Kaiser/Mikheyev/Bertuzzi goal
Activated Frank Nazar from Injured Reserve
Jonathan Toews was honored on Monday night in his first game back in Chicago as a member of a different team. There was a tribute video and the LONGEST standing ovation from the fans 👏 Watch the video here!
Thanks to their recent point streak, the Hawks are only 5 points out of a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. The upcoming Olympic Break (2/6-2/24) may be a helpful reset to get healthy and go on a run.
SCHEDULE 📅 T/TH/F
CHICAGO BULLS
23-22 | 3RD IN CENTRAL |
W - BULLS 138 CLIPPERS 110
THE QUARTER CENTURY CLIP
Clippers had won 13 of their last 15 games and were on a 6 game winning streak before this game
Bulls tied a franchise record with 25 made 3PTs on 47 attempts!
Coby White scored 27 points and was automatic from downtown (6/10 3PT, including 4 in a row in a 67 second span)
W - BULLS 120 TIMBERWOLVES 115
PUT EM AWAY, TRE
Minnesota native Tre Jones (12p/7a) had a clutch steal and the game-winning layup in the final minute
Bulls struggled to score in the 4th as an 11-0 run gave the Wolves a 110-104 lead
Josh Giddey (21p/6r/5a) returned from injury, and Anthony Edwards (20p) only shot 9/25 for the Wolves
W - BULLS 114 CELTICS 111
AN ODE TO ROSE
Kevin Huerter hit a game-winning corner 3PT on Derrick Rose’s jersey retirement night
Bulls had a great offensive night with 32 assists and shot 51%/47%/88%
Bulls had 8 players score in double figures, and they all made 2+ 3PTs!
STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Coby White
23.6p/5.6a per game, 48.2% 3PT%
PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Tre Jones game-winner by Rudy Gobert
🌹 Derrick Rose Jersey Retirement 🌹
Family, former teammates, old coaches, and anyone who was ever impacted by Derrick Rose was present at the United Center on Saturday night to see him forever honored as a Chicago Bull.
The rose that grew from concrete now hangs in the rafters.
Rose not only admirably represents the city of Chicago, he IS Chicago. Born and raised. Chicago’s own. His childhood, NBA career, and retirement have all shone a light on the city and given people hope. His #1 deserves to be seen and will never be worn again.
Nobody played with the same silent fire, the same electricity, or the same athletic ability. He fell into the Bulls’ laps in the Draft Lottery, and it was meant to be that he played for his city. Rose was my favorite player and may always be. Watch the emotional retirement ceremony here!
Tre Jones has a left hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in 2 weeks. His game-winning efforts vs. the Wolves cost everything…
Josh Giddey fell out of the Top 20 in the final NBA All-Star fan voting update
NBA Trade Deadline ➡️ February 5th
SCHEDULE 📅 M/W/TH/SAT/SUN
CHICAGO BEARS
OFFSEASON
Ben Johnson is a finalist for NFL Coach of the Year! Other award finalists were announced, and Colston Loveland was somehow left off of the list for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
RB Coach Eric Bieniemy is leaving to become the Offensive Coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs
The feeling amongst those in the Bears organization is not a familiar one after the conclusion of another season:
Caleb Williams is a finalist for the NFLPA Alan Page Community Award
Ozzy Trapilo may be out “well into” next season, so I’m assuming they will attempt to bring in another player at left tackle.
Signed 14 players to futures contracts
Super Bowl matchup is set: Patriots vs. Seahawks! Drake Maye vs. Sam Darnold? I guess I have to root for the Seahawks so Drake Maye doesn’t win one before Caleb Williams. And so Sam Darnold can rub it in the face of the Vikings for letting him go!
CHICAGO CUBS
OFFSEASON
Signed OF Chas McCormick to a minor league contract
Another Astro on the bus to Chicago!
Struggled in a bench role over the last 2 seasons but can fill in at all 3 outfield spots
Best year was 2023: 3.4 WAR, .842 OPS, 22 HR, 19 SB
Reportedly interested in SP Zac Gallen and UTIL Miguel Andujar as the Cubs front office has clearly stated they are not concerned about staying beneath any specific luxury tax threshold. After the Bregman signing, they sit JUST under the first threshold. This means they may spend more money this offseason after capping themselves so much last year!
Daniel Palencia will pitch for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic
Freddy Peralta is out of the division! The Brewers traded away their elite starter to the New York Mets since he had 1 year remaining on his contract. Peralta is 9-3 against the Cubs in his career with a 3.21 ERA and 12.0 K/9.
SAY WHAT?
“There is no building off of this. We go back to square one.”
“I'd rather not be the Cardiac Bears.”
“I was thinking about doing the celebration…DRose falling into his teammates.”
“He’s a big boy. And Russian. I actually talked to him a little bit. He said it was his first fight. Can’t buy that.”
“I almost missed!”
“Got beat up. Won a hockey game. That’s all that matters.”
“You may have done physics. But I showed you physics.”
“I’ve been ready for 4 weeks. Now I’m allowed to.”
“I love…seeing what type of growth or steps forward or steps back that we take.”
“Hey, unbelievable job. You kicked our a**.”
A CITYWIDE SALUTE
Arvid Soderblom
Soderblom has struggled this season as the 2nd goalie for the Blackhawks (3.75 GAA, .874 SV%). Even though his performance has led to questions about his future, he has wholeheartedly supported his teammates. Check out how excited he was for Drew Commesso when sickness stormed through the team:
MILD TAKE
The Bulls and Blackhawks will finish a breath away from the playoffs.
As January nears its end, both teams are sitting right outside of a playoff spot.
The Bulls are 9th in the East and happily clinging to their reserved Play-In Tournament spot while the Hawks are 5 points out of a Wild Card spot.
Both teams COULD go on a run, stay healthy, gain a little momentum, and make some noise. Instead, I really think both teams will perform the same way they have all season long: middle of the road. .500 basketball and hockey is expected at this point thanks to the youth, constant injuries, and inconsistent performances.
Having Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard back together should help the Hawks, but their top lines are in shuffle mode right now. They may move a veteran or two at the trade deadline, and a couple prospects may join the NHL crew for the end of the season. It’s difficult to build chemistry when there’s a rotating group of faces.
I hope one team goes on a run and makes April and May more fun. For now, my expectations will be the same: they’ll finish just short.
HITTING THE LINKS
Joel Lorenzi - Derrick Rose wants to (mostly) put basketball behind him, even if you still see an NBA MVP (The Athletic)
Patrick Mooney - What are the Cubs getting in Alex Bregman? Allow Dansby Swanson to explain (The Athletic)
Kristen Shilton - Why Frank Nazar is the perfect complement to Connor Bedard (ESPN)
Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers - What can likely future Blackhawks captain Bedard learn from Toews’ legendary run? (The Athletic)
TWO MINUTE WARNING
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Thanks for reading! Break out the DRose jerseys for the 3-game Bulls/Heat series!
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