Patrick Williams finally opened the sealed box of Honey Buns he had been saving for a Bulls home win, and he did it after Chicago beat the Atlanta Hawks 125-117 in overtime on Friday. It was the second win of the season for the Bulls, and it gave Williams the moment he had been waiting for.
He had said earlier in the week that he would unwrap the snacks the first time Chicago won at home, a promise that turned a simple postgame treat into a small marker of relief for a team that had spent much of the early season chasing something steadier. Williams had loved Honey Buns as a kid in North Carolina, which made the box in his locker feel less like a stunt than a private ritual waiting for the right night.
The win mattered because the Bulls had lost seven of eight straight games before Friday and had gone through a start that left their locker room feeling funereal at times. Even this one was not clean for long. Chicago let the game drift into a turnover-filled third quarter that kept the Hawks within reach, which is part of why the result still felt earned rather than easy.
That was the backdrop when the postgame mood finally broke. Buddy Hield put it bluntly: “Feels great to get a f—–g ‘W,’” and Norman Powell helped carry the offense with a season-high 33 points. The victory also came with a scare, as Jalen Smith left overtime after aggravating a left-hand injury, a reminder that even the good nights have come with some cost.
Williams said the Honey Buns were a gift from the Bulls' social media team, and that detail makes the whole episode land the way it should: not as a gimmick, but as a small team joke that only works when the team actually wins. What remains unknown is how many he ate once he opened the box, or whether there is anything left in the locker for the next home victory.
