Bulls get long-awaited second victory in first game without Caleb Wilson

It looked as though the Bulls were going to let another big lead get away when their 18-point edge over the Hawks disappeared. But they kept it together, and Norman Powell took over by scoring nine of his 33 points in overtime to lead them to a 125-117 victory for their long-awaited second triumph of the season.

The Details

For a team that entered the day on an eight-game skid, the Bulls (2-9) showed a lot of fight during the game and a lot of emotion as it ended.

‘‘It’s not easy to lose a lot of games,’’ coach Tiago Splitter said. ‘‘You’ve got to stay composed; you’ve got to stay locked in. But that frustration’s still there. And when you win a game, sometimes that stuff comes out.’’

Josh Giddey had his first triple-double of the season with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists. The Bulls had 34 assists for the game — evidence of the way Splitter wants to play, with or without rookie Caleb Wilson, who missed his first of many games with a broken right hand.

The Bulls got plenty of contributions, with seven players scoring in double figures.

• Isaac Okoro and
• Jalen Smith also scored 15 points,
• Patrick Williams had 13,
• Buddy Hield
• 12 and
• Matas Buzelis

11, including a big three-pointer with 23.5 seconds left in overtime that gave the Bulls a six-point lead.

And for those interested, the Bulls put themselves in the running for at least a wild-card spot in the NBA Cup. The victory put them in a three-way tie for second with the Wizards and Hawks in East Group C at 1-1. With winnable remaining games against the Wizards and Hornets, a 3-1 record is possible.

The Bulls signed center

Orlando Robinson from their G League affiliate, Windy City, to fill their 15th and final standard-contract roster spot. With a full roster, the Bulls’ two-way players — Tobe Awaka, Jordan Hawkins and Jaylin Sellers, who split time with Windy City — are eligible to play in 50 games each, rather than 90 combined.

Splitter said Robinson earned the spot. He averaged 13.7 points and eight rebounds in three games for Windy City. He also played in three preseason games for the Bulls, averaging 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds. The 26-year-old has appeared in 115 NBA games in four seasons, playing for the Heat, Kings, Raptors and Magic.

‘‘Orlando was great for us in camp,’’ Splitter said. ‘‘He’s a great spirit on the bench, always good vibes. Our guys love him. It’s a reward from the camp that he had for us.’’

Still a happy place

Despite all the Bulls’ losing, Giddey said he and his teammates still enjoy coming to work and are putting in the effort to improve.

‘‘Clearly, we’re not up to where we should be,’’ he said. ‘‘Teams are showing us that, and we’ve got to be able to put 48 minutes together. But the group’s positive, the building’s positive. It’s a place I love to come in every day and see everybody and work. We all have the same goal of getting back to winning games.’’

If they don’t, the season might be historically bad. The Bulls are on pace to win 15 games, which would equal the franchise low for a full season, set in 2000-01. The Bulls won 13 games in the lockout-shortened 1988-89 season.

• Historic achievement
• Big men
• Nic Claxton and

Jalen Smith each had at least 17 points and an 83.3 field-goal percentage Wednesday against the Spurs. It was the first time in team history two centers put up those numbers in the same game. Smith had 23 points and shot 88.9%.

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