After dropping a tough loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, the Chicago Bulls walked into Frost Bank Center on Saturday looking to get back on track against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs, on the other hand, were riding high after two straight wins over the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets.
Chicago ended the night on top, earning a 122-116 win over the Victor Wembanyama-less Spurs. They survived two great performances from Tre Jones and Keldon Johnson and overcame an eight-point Spurs lead midway through the fourth quarter. With no Wembanyama, the Bulls may have hoped for an easier game, but a win is a win.
With roughly 30 seconds remaining, Nikola Vucevic nailed a shot to put the Bulls up by four points. It iced the game for Chicago. After the contest, Vucevic spoke about his big-time bucket.
“It always feels good to hit a big shot at the end of the game,” Vucevic said via ESPN. “I was really happy I made a shot, but I was more happy I helped us win a game. We came up with a big, big win for us on the road.”
Vucevic finished the game with 24 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks while shooting 10-of-17 from the floor and 2-of-5 from behind the three-point line.
Jones and Johnson nearly took down the Bulls without Wembanyama. Jones had 30 points, nine rebounds, and four assists while shooting 10-of-13 from the field and 4-of-6 from deep. Meanwhile, Jonson put up 26 points, four rebounds, and five assists while shooting 8-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-5 from distance.
