The panic button is on the desk. It might not be time to press it, but that day is coming soon. The first week of December is still early enough into the NBA season to allow hope or optimism or any other vein of positivity to stay alive for at least a few more days. But the Chicago Bulls need to sta re at that bright red button long and hard — for the rest of the week, for the rest of the month, until they figure out how to get back above .500. Things are bad. They’re not getting better. That became clear in the third quarter of Friday’s 120-105 loss to the Indiana Pacers as half-hearted boos began to filter down from the 300 level of the United Center. Photos: Indiana Pacers 120, Chicago Bulls 105 Matas Buzelis had just committed the 11th Bulls turnover of the game, chucking an entry pass well above the outstretched hand of Nikola Vučević. The error served as the second half of a demoralizing one-two punch after Josh Giddey stumbled out of bounds on the prior play, giving the Pacers the opportunity to push ahead 75-59. Within minutes, the Bulls cut the deficit to three points. It didn’t matter. They lacked the offensive firepower and the defensive fortitude to overcome an early Pacers lead built off errors and turnovers. How does a team orchestrate a complete collapse against a four-win team? Start by making seven 3-pointers in the first quarter, then let that shot disintegrate for the remaining three quarters. Accept the pace set by the defense rather than establishing an independent metronome. Hyperventilate when guards Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell hike up their shorts and get their hands active at the half-court line. Sling passes without purpose. Turn the ball over 18 times. Allow the opponent to gouge three-lane thoroughfares through the paint. Don’t rotate, then rotate too hard. Melt in the face of every Pascal Siakam isolation turnaround jumper. Foul. Foul again. The Bulls have lost six games in a row and seven of eight to fall four games below .500 at 9-13. It isn’t quite enough to squash hope entirely. But for Coby White, the first turning point of the season already has arrived. “It’s still a very long season,” White said. “I’ve been through the ups and downs here for seven years now. The most important thing is we stick together through this. The season’s always going to be filled with adversities. We got a chance to change the narrative right now. The most important thing for me is we don’t let go of the rope and we do this thing together.” Here are three takeaways from the loss. 1. White and Giddey were reunited. Bulls guard Coby White drives to the rim against Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard in the third quarter Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at the United Center. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) The Bulls enjoyed a rare evening with four of their five starters on the court as White returned to the lineup after missing three games. The difference was immediate and obvious. White relieves pressure on fellow guard Giddey to handle the majority of the team’s ballhandling efforts. He poses an automatic threat on the perimeter that drags defenders out of shape on offense, clearing up more room for Buzelis and Julian Phillips to cut into space toward the rim. And at his best, White can defy the standard laws of physics, suspending himself in midair to bend a pass around a defender for a corner 3 or levitating the ball up and down and up again for a reverse layup. In his first game back from another calf strain — this time in his left leg — White buoyed his team with 22 points and six assists. Most importantly, Friday’s game reunited White and Giddey, giving the Bulls a much-needed look at their central star duo. White and Giddey had shared the court for only 95 minutes this season entering Friday’s game. But Giddey didn’t balance out the other side of this equation. He scored only nine points, four of which came from the free-throw line. Giddey went 2-for-9 from the floor and committed five turnovers against six assists. And White still wasn’t a fix-all solution. The Bulls were still short-staffed at the point guard position because of the absence of Ayo Dosunmu, who is sidelined with a sprained thumb. This meant relying on Jevon Carter — who scored 14 points — to supply backup minutes at the position off the bench. 2. Zach Collins made his season debut. Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) passes to forward Isaiah Jackson (22) as Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) and forward Zach Collins (12) defend in the third quarter Dec. 5, 2025, at the United Center. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Collins also came off the injury report Friday after suffering a fractured wrist in the final game of the preseason, an injury that required surgery and a six-week delay to the start of his season. The Bulls knew this would be a rusty start for Collins, who is typically one of the stronger rim defenders on the roster. The Pacers targeted the big man on defense immediately, taking advantage of his sluggish pace of play after a month-and-a-half on the sidelines. Collins found some rhythm with his shot, hitting a kick-out 3 at the end of the first quarter for his first points of the season. He finished with eight points and six rebounds in 20 minutes, 34 seconds, filling in a necessary shift with fellow backup center Jalen Smith injured. 3. Steps forward (and backward) for Buzelis. Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, left, and Pacers guard Ethan Thompson reach for a loose ball in the second quarter Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at the United Center. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) One of the quiet high points of the game came from the second-year forward, who logged the second double-double of his career. Buzelis had 19 points and 12 rebounds, providing a dominant presence on the defensive glass. Why hasn’t Matas Buzelis taken a significant 2nd-year leap for Chicago Bulls yet — and what happens next? Most notably, he went 9-for-9 from the free-throw line. This reflected Buzelis’ improved ability to force his way downhill, inviting contact that forced the Pacers into fouling positions. Of course, the game still came with growing pains. Buzelis was also one of the leading perpetrators in the team’s early errors, coughing up a team-high six turnovers. This was partially a result of his heightened role as a ballhandler without the injured Dosunmu, Tre Jones or Kevin Huerter on the court, but Buzelis also made several rushed decisions at the rim, reflecting areas of needed growth as a playmaker. ...read more read less