Spurs vs. Bulls: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season
The San Antonio Spurs entered Thursday night a perfect 13-0 on the road, but a subpar shooting display sent them tumbling to their first loss away from the friendly confines of AT&T Center as the Chicago Bulls emerged with a 95-91 victory at United Center.
Although points didn't flow at steady rates for either side, the Bulls saw all five starters finish in double figures on a night when they shot 43.8 percent from the field overall. Dwyane Wade led the charge with 20 points on 5-of-13 shooting, while Jimmy Butler chipped in 13 points following a silent first half.
Kawhi Leonard paced the Spurs with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and his ferocious putback dunk with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter offered a brief glimmer of hope for a team that shot 40.2 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three in the loss:
But aside from Leonard, Patty Mills (16 points, 4-of-6 shooting from three) and Pau Gasol (13 points, 10 rebounds), the Spurs couldn't point to many reliable playmakers.
And based on how prolific San Antonio has been on the road all season, an absence of superlative scoring was surprising.
The Spurs couldn't buy a bucket during a first half in which they shot 31.3 percent from the field and 1-of-11 from three, and all but 10 of their first-half points came inside the paint as jumpers failed to fall time and again versus a stout Chicago defense.
The San Antonio Express-News' Jabari Young provided an overview of just how shoddy the Spurs' shooting was midway through the second quarter:
Similarly, ESPN.com's Nick Friedell provided a statistical nugget that showed the Spurs failed to take advantage of Chicago's own offensive woes:
Bulls radio producer Jeff Mangurten echoed that sentiment after Leonard silenced Butler in the first half:
The Bulls carried a 13-point lead into halftime after San Antonio mustered a season-low 32 points over the game's first 24 minutes, and they sustained a double-digit advantage throughout the bulk of the third quarter as Butler started to shake Leonard and heat up.
As if the Spurs weren't fighting enough of an uphill battle already, they also encountered uncharacteristic struggles when it came to drawing fouls.
Although they entered Thursday averaging a 15th-ranked 23.7 free throws a night, the Spurs attempted three shots from the charity stripe through three quarters and five overall for the game.
Mills, however, kept San Antonio's faint hopes alive thanks to a scorching shooting display from beyond the arc, and Leonard scored eight straight points during a key stretch in the fourth quarter to make the Bulls sweat.
And while the Bulls were in a precarious spot after they averaged 19 points on 29 percent shooting in the fourth quarter of their last three games, per Mangurten, they were able to stave off San Antonio's late run and snap a three-game losing streak.
In order to keep the wins flowing, the Bulls will need to bring the same intensity on defense as they get set to close out a three-game homestand with games against the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Spurs, meanwhile, will be in a prime spot to bounce back when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday before the Boston Celtics come to town on Dec. 14 following a three-day layoff.
Postgame Reaction
"The guys did a great job of following the game plan and coming out and doing what we wanted to do," Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg said, according to the team's official Twitter account. "The ball was moving."
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, however, couldn't assume the same sort of positive tone.
"We're not a very consistent team," he said, according to The Athletic Chicago's Sean Highkin. "We haven't learned as a team that the game is 48 minutes."
The NBA on TNT relayed footage of Popovich's complete remarks:
"I think some of it will be fixed, but it won't all be fixed," Popovich added, according to Young. "It's never perfect on any team."
