Spurs spoil Vučević’s debut, beat the Bulls

Spurs spoil Vučević's debut, beat the Bulls (San Antonio, TX) - The new-look Bulls will make their debut tonight against the San Antonio Spurs.
Advertisement
Anew Banner Advertisement

Loading

Spurs spoil Vučević’s debut, beat the Bulls (San Antonio, TX) – The new-look Bulls will make their debut tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. During the trade deadline on Thursday, Chicago’s key acquisition was two time All-Star center, Nikola Vučević. With the Orlando Magic this season, Vučević averaged 24.5 points per game, 11.8 rebounds per game and 3.8 assists per game.

In addition to Vučević, the Bulls added Al-Farouq Aminu, Troy Brown Jr., Javonte Green and Daniel. Theis. The pieces the Bulls departed with in order to retrieve these new players were Wendell Carter Jr. , Otto Porter Jr., Luke Kornet and two future first round picks. It will be interesting to see how these new additions fit in, against a Spurs team that came back from 24 points down to beat Chicago on March 17th.

Spurs dominate in the 1st half

The Bulls started off with a 7-5 lead, but San Antonio responded with a 14-2 run. This put the Spurs up 19-9 with 5.5 minutes left. Chicago also had six turnovers in the 1st, which contributed to San Antonio scoring 6 points off of those turnovers. Another difference in the quarter was the Spurs scoring 22 points in the paint. San Antonio led 33-20 going into the 2nd.

The Spurs continued their hot-shooting to begin the 2nd quarter, as they made 8 out of their first 12 shots. In comparison, the Bulls missed 11 of their first 14 shots. This gave the Spurs a 54-27 advantage with 6 minutes left. San Antonio led 65-39 going into the 2nd half.

San Antonio dominated the 1st half, as they shot 28/45 (62%) from the field and held the Bulls to 17/49 (35%) shooting. Another major factor in Chicago’s struggles were their 10 turnovers. Demar Derozan, Jakob Poeltl and Patty Mills all scored 10 points for the Spurs. Tomas Satoransky led the Bulls with 8 points.

Bulls outscore San Antonio in the 3rd

The Spurs continued to increase their lead to begin the 3rd. With 6 minutes left, the score was 85-52. Even though the San Antonio lead remained large, LaVine and Vučević played better offensively in the quarter, combining for 22 points. Chicago outscored the Spurs 34-31 in the 3rd, to reduce the Spurs lead to 96-73 going into the 4th.

Advertisement
John Heiderschedit, Criminal Defense Attorney; Subscription Lawyer; Chicago Lawyer

Spurs hold on to beat the Bulls

The Bulls continued their run in the 4th quarter, as they cut the San Antonio lead down to 14 after trailing by as many as 36. An “and-one” jump shot from Lauri Markkanen made the score 105-91 with 6 minutes left. Chicago later cut the lead down to single digits at 107-98, but the Spurs responded with a 7-0 run. This put them up 114-98 with 3.5 minutes left in the game. San Antonio beat the Bulls 120-104.

Chicago outscored San Antonio 65-55 in the 2nd half, but the deficit from the 1st half was too large to overcome. Poeltl led the Spurs with 20 points and 9 rebounds, while Vučević led the Bulls with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists.

Up Next

The Spurs (23-20) will play their next game against the Kings (20-25) on Monday at 7:30pm CT.

The Bulls (19-25) will play their next game against the Warriors (22-24) on Monday at 9pm CT.

Spurs spoil Vučević’s debut, beat the Bulls

Advertisement

Related Articles

Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *