Bulls stay hot with victory over Spurs |
CHICAGO - What this Chicago Bulls (13-17) has been able to do since Zach Lavine went down has been incredible as they continue to play inspired basketball. After improving to 7-3 without their All-Star with a win on Wednesday, the Bulls were back at it again Thursday for the second leg of a back-to-back against the San Antonio Spurs (4-23).
There is no such thing as an easy game in the NBA, but when you look at how well the Bulls have been playing and where this current Spurs team is, these are the games you need to have as a team when you're trying to climb back into playoff contention. If not for the Pistons, who are the laughingstock of the NBA this season, the Spurs would be in that position as they entered Thursday losers in 20 of their last 21. Even without a terrific first-half effort, the Bulls continued to do their thing on the court as they improved to 8-3 without Lavine and picked up another win at the United Center 114-95. Judging by how things went in the first quarter, you would've never guessed that this Spurs team is one of the worst in the league as they took it to the Bulls over those first 12 minutes. Sparked by Zach Collins effort off the bench, as he finished with 14 points in the game, the Spurs managed to hold a 28-27 lead after one and were hoping to keep that rolling into the second. Fortunately for Chicago, it was the Nikola Vucevic show in the second as he put the team on his back to will the Bulls back into the lead 52-48. Despite his offensive issues at times, Vucevic remains a reliable player in this offense, as he added 16 more points in the win. Once the second half got rolling, it was all Chicago as they dominated the Spurs from start to finish and outscored them 62-47 over the final 24 minutes, including their 37-25 fourth-quarter flurry. Coby White was a big reason for that, and when you needed him the most, he rose to the occasion, especially in the fourth. White has been playing at an all-star level for quite some time, and with 22 more points to lead the team, he continues to make a case for Player of the Month honors. It's not just his scoring that stands out, but his ability to do so much more on the floor as he added six rebounds and five assists for another complete game performance. His ability to score and run the offense has gotten others involved with Demar DeRozan (21 points) and Patrick Williams (18 points), adding to another productive outing from the Bulls starting five. Like White, Williams has come into his own the past three weeks as this has been his best stretch as a pro. There is still some growing to do, but Williams is starting to play with the confidence the Bulls expected from him, and the results are evident in his game. Anytime you have four starters in double figures, you will be hard to beat, but you still need production from your bench to keep things going. The Bulls have had that in recent games, which continued as their second unit provided a lift when called on. Andre Drummond and Ayo Dosunmu put together their second consecutive solid game, with Drummond leading the bench with 12 points and eight boards, while Dosunmu added 11 points and played stellar defense. You also had Jevon Carter score eight points, as his increase in minutes with Torrey Craig injured has led to more scoring. Things may be rough for the Spurs right now, but with one of the game's best coaches, Gregg Popovich, they will turn it around soon. Much of that has to do with the growth of rookie Victor Wembanyama and how he continues to develop. The No. 1 overall pick this past summer has shown flashes of brilliance but also the growing pains you would expect from a rookie. He had one of those nights last night as he struggled from the field to pick up seven points. If he isn't playing to his potential, this team struggles as they don't have the firepower many of these other teams do. Getting 21 points from Devin Vassell was nice, but your team is in trouble when he is the only one with more than 16 points. Keldon Johnson struggled throughout the game and finished with 11 points, while Malaki Branham added 13 to round out the double-digit starters. San Antonio did get 14 off the bench from Collins and nine from Tre Jones, but it wouldn't be enough to stop the Bulls, who have won three straight. The Bulls will look to keep their great play going as their homestand continues with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. Tip is set for 7 PM, with the Bulls aiming to deliver an early X-Mas present.
