Chicago Bulls Needed A Lot More From Their Two Core Players in 129-114 Loss to Spurs

Raise your hand if you thought the Chicago Bulls stood a chance against the San Antonio Spurs?

Other than a tightly contested first quarter, this 129-114 Spurs victory went about as expected. The Bulls were completely dominated inside by Victor Wembanyama, who scored his season-high, and watched a Spurs offense that has ranked No. 1 in March dish 31 assists and put six players in double figures.

Only seven more games left!

An Alien Abduction

As a handful of playoff-caliber teams have done over the last couple of weeks, the San Antonio Spurs came in a little too confident against the Chicago Bulls. Billy Donovan's team isn't one to lay down and take a beating, which is why they trailed just 29-28 at the end of the first 12 minutes.

The Bulls were at least trying to play the Spurs with a little extra physicality. They were also sharing the ball well, shooting 5-10 from deep and dishing 8 assists on their first 11 made field goals. Meanwhile, despite having a steep advantage in shot attempts thanks to second-chance opportunities, the Spurs shot just 13-30 from the field.

All head coach Mitch Johnson probably had to do was hold up a mirror to his two best players in the sideline huddle. Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama instantly remembered the edge they had in the size and strength department, putting that to use in a game-changing second quarter. They punched Chicago in the mouth by combining for 23 of the team's 35 points in the frame. San Antonio went 8-9 in the paint during the quarter, as well as 7-8 from the charity stripe.

They also out-rebounded the Bulls a staggering 17-7 and walked into the halftime break with a 17-4 lead in second-chance points. Even more concerning, they were running the Bulls off the court in the fastbreak. Something that is supposed to be this group's bread-and-butter was anything but.

Down 64-47 going into the second half, this one felt as good as over. While the Bulls have pulled off some shocking comebacks this season, there was no way we were about to see it again. Their lack of size in the frontcourt was always going to be too much to overcome, particularly with Nick Richards sidelined.

Speaking of which, Wembanyama finished with a season-high 41 points and 16 rebounds on 17-27 shooting in only 30 minutes of action. He was 13-17 in the paint and embarrassed the Bulls on repeat. I think this bucket tells you about everything you need to know ...

Victor Wembanyama barely had to jump on this alley-oop.

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The Youngsters Struggle

All that really matters the rest of the way is how well guys like Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis play against elite competition. And let's just say tonight left a lot to be desired.

While Giddey may have been able to reach the double-digit assist mark yet again, he scored just 9 points on 3-5 shooting from the field. There is absolutely no circumstance where he should be this far under double-digit field goal attempts. Was this a tough matchup against a talented and physical Spurs backcourt? Sure, but that's just more of a reason for Giddey to force the issue and put his six-foot-eight frame to use.

Indeed, a game like tonight is why questions still loom about Giddey's ability to become a meaningful building block. The scoring has to be more consistent for him to be as valuable as the Bulls seem to think he can be. My eye has always been on his ability to get to the charity stripe. This is something he was doing particularly well in the second half of last year and the beginning of this year. The last month, however, has left a lot to be desired in this department.

Josh Giddey of the Chicago Bulls — Mar 28, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies forward Tyler Burton (5) defends during the third quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

As for Matas Buzelis, he was at least more aggressive and shot 5-12 for his 12 points. He also finished with 3 blocks for the second consecutive game and the third time in the last six games. We watched him have a couple of really nice drives to the rim off the bounce – one of which was a blow-by past Wembanyama for the slam.

Still, the Bulls shouldn't want to see Tre Jones and Collin Sexton carrying a larger offensive workload. They should also be holding him to a higher standard when it comes to getting to the free throw line. He went just 1-1, marking the sixth time in the last eight games that he shot two or fewer free throws.

Leonard Miller is a Dude

On the bright side, Leonard Miller continued his impressive run.

The former Timberwolves wing looked a lot more comfortable against the long and athletic Spurs' defense. He continued to be extremely opportunistic with his offense, scoring multiple times off hard cuts to the rim or putbacks. What was arguably most notable, however, was his confidence from behind the arc. While he only drained three of his eight attempts, he didn't hesitate to let it fly. The Bulls should be happy to see that at this time of year.

Miller even finished the night with 4 assists and 5 offensive rebounds, showing an ability to make a possession-by-possession impact. In many ways, it's hard not to watch Miller and think about how quickly he has managed to surpass Patrick Williams on the totem pole. The Bulls have been waiting for Williams to play this way for years. Miller makes his presence felt no matter how many minutes he gets.

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