Victor Wembanyama passed well but scored just seven points in San Antonio’s 21st loss in their last 22 games.
CHICAGO — The Spurs couldn’t capitalize on a cold night in Chicago, collapsing in the fourth quarter and falling to the Bulls 114-95.
Both teams struggled mightily from three, shooting a combined 17-58 from three in the game. Chicago mustered just a pair of long-range makes in the first 36 minutes, but they got hot late and turned it into a blowout. They scored 20 points off of 19 turnovers by a San Antonio team that has now lost 21 of their last 22 games.
Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama returned after missing the last game with a sore ankle, and though he threw some of the best passes of his career he didn’t score in the first half and finished with just 7 points. Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 21.
Malaki Branham scored the first seven points for the Spurs by making smart decisions off the ball. The first bucket came after Wembanyama blocked a shot, dribbled down the court and found Branham cutting through the paint.
Keldon Johnson scored the next five for San Antonio, getting an and-1 off a perfect high-low pass from Wemby.
Wembanyama didn’t score in his first five minutes but he tallied 3 assists, 2 boards, 2 steals and a block. Jeremy Sochan hit a three, Zach Collins did too, and San Antonio pushed in front 22-16. The Bulls stormed back to tie it before Collins finished a putback. He closed the quarter with a huge rejection and the Spurs led 28-27.
San Antonio got a bit sloppy in the second, and Chicago built a nine-point lead. Collins stuffed a shot and Vassell laid it up for an and-1. The Spurs forced a steal, and Vassell pulled up and swished one from the elbow. The Bulls led 52-48 after the first half.
Sochan started the second half with a putback, Wemby sealed for a dunk, and Vassell drained a corner three to tie it up.
Wembanyama deterred a shot, grabbed the board, dribbled down the court toward the rim and attracted the entire defense before whipping a pass to Sochan behind his head with his left hand for his sauciest assist yet.
The Bulls again stretched the lead but couldn’t get up to double figures, and San Antonio survived the treacherous third quarter and trailed 77-70 heading to the fourth.
On the first play of the fourth, the Bulls hit their third triple of the game to get to their first 10-point lead of the game, then they hit their fourth and their fifth to make it 15.
Wemby blocked a shot, then dunked through a foul, then faced up and drilled a mid-range j. But the Bulls found an offensive groove and surged in front by 20, and that was the end of that.
San Antonio lost , sending them to 4-23 on the year. They’ll host the struggling Jazz on December 26.
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