San Antonio at Chicago, Final Score: Spurs escape with a win against the Bulls 108-107

No rest for the weary, wariness for the rested: since no one’s well-rested at this point in the season, the Spurs win with some help from the bench.

After a burner with the Bucks last game, the Spurs eeked out a win against the Bulls behind a strong game from DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge. Also of note, the Spurs’ bench rescued what could have been a painful loss.

Roundup:

Early on it was a two-man scoring attack with Aldridge and Bryn Forbes shouldering the Spurs’ offense. However, a couple of early turnovers allowed the Bulls to stick around and kept things tied at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Patty Mills channeled his inner Tony Parker and scored several consecutive times in the paint to help the Spurs open up a modest lead. That modesty didn’t last as some sloppiness with the ball allowed the Bulls to come back. At the end of the first half, the Spurs behind Forbes held a 52-50 lead over the Bulls who were paced by Justin Holiday’s 14 points.

The Spurs’ offensive struggles continued in the second half as the Bulls took the lead behind an 11-2 run. The bench unit led by Patty Mills gave the team a much-needed scoring boost in the third. Once most of the starters came back in, San Antonio was able to come back and hold off Chicago despite more late game miscues and turnovers.

Aimless Observations:

  • Good things happen when the Spurs get LaMarcus Aldridge involved early in the game, and better things happen when he is comfortable passing out of a double team.
  • Zach LaVine is the leader of these Bulls, and it was a good sign that he has come back strong from his ACL injury—something we can hope for the same with Dejounte Murray.
  • The Aldridge has 20 points = a Spurs win continues to ring true. Add in if Aldridge gets 2 dunks in the same game, the Spurs are 1-0 thus far (I could be wrong on that stat, but I enjoyed seeing LA assert himself down low late in this game).

Tune In Next Time:

San Antonio wrap up this 4-game road trip when they play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, November 28 at 7:00 PM CDT.

Source: Pounding The Rock

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