It’s no shock that the San Antonio Spurs are one of the DEEPEST teams in the NBA. With a record of 47-14 prior to last night’s game, the Chicago Bulls knew how tough their opponent would be even without Tony Parker. For the first half, the Bulls kept the game close, even leading into halftime with a score of 52-47. But, the Spurs turned up the intensity and put the injury prone Bulls to bed near the middle of the third quarter. The Chicago Bulls are now 2.5 games ahead of the eight spot in the East (Yikes!). With Taj Gibson, Kirk Hinrich, and Rip Hamilton not healthy enough to play, the Bulls are limping on one leg and it’s showing heavily. The San Antonio Spurs finished the Bulls off with a score of 101-83 in regulation.
Marco Belinelli did step up, though, despite the loss. Marco finished with 21 points, 7 assists, and 2 rebounds. Noah nearly had another double-double with 8 points and 13 rebounds. But, he did struggle against the savvy veteran, Tim Duncan, who had 5 blocks. Noah only shot 4/13 from the field. The Spurs had 46 of their 101 points in the paint, while the Bulls struggled to score in the paint with only 22 points. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks. It has been said before, but the Bulls continue to struggle mightily on offense. Against the Spurs, they only shot 35.7% from the field and allowed the Spurs to shoot over 54%.
Chicago will look for a win on Friday against the Utah Jazz. Their chances look good (no jinx please).
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
