Nikola Vucevic scored a season-high 39 points, and Ayo Dosunmu added 27 points along with a career-high 11 rebounds, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 139-124 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
The Bulls were ahead by 11 points going into the final quarter after holding off a brief Spurs rally late in the third. San Antonio cut the lead to 130-122 with 3:18 left on two free throws by Keldon Johnson, but Chicago responded with nine straight points, finishing with Vucevic’s layup at 1:31 to seal the victory.
Talen Horton-Tucker contributed 13 points, and Dalen Terry added 12 points for the Bulls, who won their second straight game. Matas Buzelis scored 11 points, while Zach LaVine contributed 11 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.
For the Spurs, Keldon Johnson scored 28 points off the bench. Devin Vassell had 17 points, Jeremy Sochan added 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Chris Paul, Stephon Castle, and Julian Champagnie each scored 12 points. Paul also recorded nine assists.
San Antonio played without star center Victor Wembanyama, who missed the game due to a sore back. This was their second consecutive loss and third in the past four games.
The Bulls dominated the first quarter, taking a 36-22 lead, with Dosunmu scoring 11 points. Chicago stretched the lead to 20 points when Matas Buzelis dunked with 2:43 remaining in the second quarter. A last-second jumper from Charles Bassey cut the Spurs’ deficit to 14 points, but Vucevic’s putback gave Chicago a 73-57 lead at halftime.
Vucevic led the Bulls with 13 points before the break, as Chicago shot 60% from the field, while the Spurs shot 43.1%. Johnson led San Antonio in the first half with 11 points.
In the game, the Bulls made 57.8% of their field goals, while the Spurs hit 46.3%. Chicago had a significant advantage from beyond the arc, making 45.9% of their 3-pointers (17 of 37), compared to San Antonio’s 28.6% (8 of 28).
