The Spurs made an unlikely 23-point comeback, taking the Chicago Bulls down 106-99. While a pedestrian offensive put them behind at first, San Antonio’s stifling defense in the second half pushed them past the finish line.
Jakob Poeltl led the silver and black championship with his career record of 20 points and 16 rebounds on 9 of 11 shots. Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 29 points, six rebounds and six assists, although his outstanding performance was not enough to give Chicago the advantage.
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- Despite losing by up to 23 points in the first half, San Antonio took advantage of a 15-0 streak to close the gap for a single point in the final stage. While Chicago threatened to pull away a few times early in the fourth period, the Spurs sealed the deal behind a petty defense and clutch score that resulted in a final 20-1 run.
- Devin Vassell and Patrick Williams, former teammates from the state of Florida and teammates on the Draft Lottery teams, shared the word for the first time since their days playing under coach Leonard Hamilton. Both rookies shone, albeit at opposite ends of the court. Although Vassell recorded fewer minutes than Pat-Will, the two newcomers exhibited impressive defensive versatility and a variety of offensive skills. This growing pair of Seminoles must have a brilliant career ahead of them.
- Silver and Black started the game with an embarrassing breach of the backcourt in the first possession of the ball, and that was a sign of what was to come. San Antonio’s first quarter was a train crash that saw them shoot 7 out of 25 from the field, knock down a single jumper and lose Keldon for the rest of the period due to a sprained ankle. The defeat in 17-31 put them behind by a considerable deficit that they miraculously overcame.
- The Spurs returned to a defense zone with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter, which momentarily cleared the Bulls. But the confusion didn’t last long, as Chicago deciphered that look on some trips on the ground, and San Antonio went back to a man-to-man scheme. It didn’t seem to matter what Popovich and his team played against their opponent, and Chicago ended the first half with 58 points and 49% of shots.
- Jakob Poeltl scored San Antonio’s first seven points in the game, which would have been great had it not been for the sad fact that Spurs scored just seven points in the middle of the first quarter. The Austrian finished with nine of the Spurs’ 17 points in the first quarter and probably prevented them from registering the fourth with the lowest NBA score this season.
- Lonnie Walker IV apparently turned a new page as a finisher early in the season, but he calmed down in a hurry and regressed to an almost low percentage of the league around the edge. His vast drop was worrisome, although he has shown encouraging growth, converting at an impressive 73.3% pace in his last six matches. The third-year swingman has seen a decrease in minutes recently, but his offensive production has not wavered.
- The tandem of the backcourt of Dejounte Murray and Derrick White continues to impress me on both ends of the court. While none of them were particularly effective on the pitch in Chicago, their defensive feats are impossible to ignore. His confinement defense at Zach LaVine in the final stretch was one of the main reasons why San Antonio was successful in stopping the Chicago attack. And the two guards dropped several clutch buckets at the end of the fourth period. This combination will only become more dangerous when they create more chemistry. Adding a consistent long-range jumper wouldn’t hurt them either.
- Fans continued to get a glimpse of life without DeMar DeRozan, and the Spurs have been totally inconsistent without their best player. Although it is too early to say that this is remotely close to a lottery team, a trip to the 2021 Draft Lottery would not be the worst thing for PATFO. This class has a handful of guys who would instantly illuminate San Antonio’s already promising future. If Silver and Black could add Evan Mobley, Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga or Scottie Barnes to their young and talented core, I have no doubt that they would have the firepower to compete for the titles in the years to come.
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The San Antonio Spurs is back on Friday, as it continues its five-game journey through the Eastern Conference with a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.