Sexton’s buzzer-beater stuns Memphis in a wild 126-125 finish

Chicago doesn’t just survive in Memphis — it steals the building. The Bulls finish the night with a 126-125 win after Collin Sexton buries a shot at the horn, capping a frantic fourth quarter that swings possession by possession. Memphis looks in control when it opens a double-digit cushion in the third, but Chicago keeps chipping away, turns the game into a one-score chess match late, and then gets the final answer when Sexton’s jumper drops as time expires.

The first half plays fast and close, exactly the way a game with 25 lead changes should. Memphis and Chicago trade haymakers through two quarters, with neither side able to separate for long. The Grizzlies do carve out a little breathing room in the third: after the game is tied at 61-61, Memphis rattles off an 11-0 run to go from 61-65 to 71-66, a burst that includes G. Jackson’s putback layup and gives the home crowd real belief. That spurt helps Memphis stretch its biggest lead to 11, and when the Grizzlies push the margin to 98-88 by the end of the period, it feels like they’ve finally cracked the game open.

But Chicago never lets the third-quarter gap become a knockout. Matas Buzelis keeps the Bulls attached all night, finishing with 29 points and 10 rebounds, and he fuels the comeback early in the fourth with a sequence that changes the temperature of the game. Chicago opens the quarter with a 14-0 run that turns a 105-96 deficit into a 109-105 lead, and the key play in that surge is Buzelis knocking down both free throws for his 29th point. That stretch doesn’t just erase Memphis’ cushion; it flips the pressure onto a Grizzlies team that had controlled much of the second half. From there, every possession feels like a late-game final exam.

The closing minutes are pure chaos. Josh Giddey, who posts a monster triple-double of 18 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, keeps Memphis alive with his playmaking and aggression. At 1:49, he drives for a layup to tie the game at 116-116. Cedric Coward answers almost immediately, scoring on a driving layup to put Memphis back in front 118-116 at 1:27. Chicago responds again: Walker Clayton Jr. comes up with a steal at 1:07, then J. Mashack converts a running layup at 1:04 to make it 120-116. Memphis won’t go quietly, and T. Jones keeps finding cracks in the defense, finishing a driving finger-roll layup at 1:01 and then another at 0:32.8 to tie the game at 120-120.

The final 15 seconds feel like they belong to whoever can make the cleaner read. Clayton Jr. drills a 25-foot three at 0:15.8 to push Chicago ahead 123-120, and Giddey answers with a driving dunk at 0:07.9 to cut it to 123-122. Memphis even creates one last sliver of defensive hope when T. Jones steals the ball at 0:02.2, setting up the final possession. But Sexton doesn’t blink. He finishes with 26 points in 30 minutes, and his shot at 0:00.0 delivers the road win right at the buzzer, sending Chicago out of Memphis with one of its most dramatic victories of the season.

This one matters because it wasn’t just a hot shooting night or a lucky bounce — it was a road comeback against a team that had repeatedly answered punches all night. Chicago leans on Buzelis’ size, Sexton’s shot-making and Giddey’s all-around brilliance to survive a game that could have easily slipped away after that Memphis third-quarter run. For the Grizzlies, the loss stings because they had multiple chances in the final minute and still couldn’t close. For the Bulls, this is the kind of finish that can travel: a comeback win, a clutch road bucket, and a statement that they can win messy, high-pressure games when the playoff race tightens.