The Chicago Bulls had a tough matchup at home against the San Antonio Spurs last night. Unfortunately, late-game struggles would determine the outcome.
The Chicago Bulls went into the game against the San Antonio Spurs looking to right the ship after a two-game losing skid. NBA fans are familiar with how tough of a regular season opponent the Spurs are on a nightly basis, so on the road against the struggling Bulls would likely be no different.
The Spurs aren’t nearly as talented as they have been in years past. Kawhi Leonard is in a Raptors jersey, Tony Parker is in a Hornets jersey and both Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are retired. Just because the Spurs aren’t the same as they used to be, though, doesn’t mean they don’t have talent. LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan are problems for any defense and Gregg Popovich is still one of the best basketball coaches in the world.
Despite all of this, the injury-plagued Bulls came out with energy and made it tough for the Spurs.
The Bulls were finally able to put together four strong quarters, playing a relatively complete game. In the last few minutes, however, the Bulls struggled offensively, giving the Spurs an opportunity to pull ahead and snag a road win.
The Bulls wouldn’t roll over, though. They ended up getting the ball in the hands of their best player with a little less than 30 seconds left in the game, down by one point. We all knew Zach LaVine was taking the shot, and rightfully so, he’d had a great game and he’s earned the right to take the final shot in any situation. The shot selection, though, was disappointing, to say the least.
Wendell Carter Jr. came up to set a screen for LaVine, but LaVine called off the screen, leaving him with an isolation situation to potentially win the game.
Zach has been a below average 3-point shooter all season long and a phenomenal attacker. Driving the ball was the only thing that should’ve been on LaVine’s mind. Instead, he settled for a step-back 3-point jumper which fell just short.
After a Spurs defensive rebound and a foul committed by Ryan Arcidiacono, the Spurs would be inbounding the ball with 3.6 seconds left, still up by one point.
The Bulls did a phenomenal job of applying pressure on the inbounds pass which resulted in Arcidiacono stealing the ball and putting up a last-second jumper for the win. The shot didn’t fall.
Bulls lose 108-107.
Player of the game: Ryan Arcidiacono
There were a few nice individual performances from the Bulls. Jabari Parker continued his stretch of good games, finishing with 18 points and 10 boards. Justin Holiday also had a nice night, scoring 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Zach LaVine, like usual, had a stellar night, scoring 28 points to go along with his 7 rebounds and 7 assists. To keep things in perspective, though, LaVine did have 6 turnovers. In order for him to reach his maximum potential, the turnovers need to come down.
Ryan Arcidiacono was the guy that stole the show against the Spurs, though. Arch scored 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from 3-point territory. He also hit two 3-pointers in the final two minutes to pull the Bulls within arm’s reach.
Arcidiacono continues to prove that he belongs in this league and on this team.