5 takeaways from the Chicago Bulls’ 4th straight win, including Coby White’s hot night and a 1st from Victor Wembanyama
The Chicago Bulls aren’t slowing down.
Led by another hot night from Coby White, the Bulls won their fourth consecutive game without Zach LaVine in a 121-112 finish against the host San Antonio Spurs on Friday night.
The Bulls are on their longest winning streak since February 2022. The game also extended the Spurs’ skid to 16 games, the second-longest in the league. The Detroit Pistons lost their 19th straight Friday.
Here are five takeaways from the win.
1. Another resurgent 3rd quarter rescues the Bulls.
It took the Bulls a full half to warm up. While the Spurs shot 50% from behind the arc, the Bulls couldn’t crack 40% from the field in the opening half, taking a 63-52 deficit into the locker room.
The Bulls went on a 12-0 run to erase their deficit in the third quarter, retaking the lead with just less than five minutes left in the frame when Coby White sank his fourth 3-pointer of the night. The Bulls outscored the Spurs 35-20 in the third. The Spurs were within one point in the fourth quarter but never regained the advantage.
DeMar DeRozan recorded one of his worst shooting nights in his Bulls tenure, finishing 7-for-24 against his former team. But four of his makes — and nine of his 20 points — came in the fourth quarter as he fulfilled his clutch duties to clinch the win.
2. Coby White and Torrey Craig fuel 3-point scoring
The Bulls struggled from behind the arc in the first half, going 4-for-15 from 3-point range. But that changed in the second half — fueled by an explosive scoring finish from White and Craig.
Both finished 5-for-7 from 3-point range. Craig’s handful came in the second half — four in the fourth quarter — to tie his career high. White extended a franchise-record streak, notching his t10th consecutive game with three or more made 3s.
The Bulls went 9-for-13 as a team from behind the arc in the second half to improve their shooting to a 46.4% on the night.
White finished with a game-high 24 points while Craig had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
3. Victor Wembanyama records his 1st 20-20 performance.
The Bulls had their hands full as they got an earlier look than expected at Victor Wembanyama, the highly touted rookie who has dominated headlines.
At 7-foot-4, Wembanyama posed a serious matchup concern for the Bulls, who couldn’t rely as heavily on switches from smaller defenders such as Alex Caruso and Jevon Carter. The defense limited Wembanyama to only three makes from the field in the first half, but the rookie still finished with 21 points and 20 rebounds — the first 20-20 of his young career. He added four blocks and four assists.
Despite Wembanyama’s imposing length, however, the Bulls fared well on boards. They snagged a season-high 24 offensive rebounds and scored 20 second-chance points. Nikola Vučević had 10 offensive boards and 16 overall and scored 21 points.
4. Alex Caruso exits with a left ankle injury.
Injuries continue to hinder Caruso from making a full impact on this Bulls team.
Caruso exited the game in the fourth quarter after suffering a left ankle injury and was unable to return. This is a separate injury from the left toe strain that sidelined him for three games and caused several other early exits this season.
Coach Billy Donovan did not have a prognosis for Caruso’s return immediately after the game.
5. Patrick Williams matches a season high with 20 points.
White’s recent shooting has been the focal point for the Bulls, but Williams also has been quietly building a consistent streak on both ends of the court as the team keeps winning.
Williams matched his season high of 20 points, eagerly seeking chances to challenge Spurs players at the rim. He shot 8-for-11 from the field, and two of his three misses came as the result of hard fouls as he attempted dunks. He added three assists, six rebounds and a steal.
