Victor Wembanyama-Less Spurs Fall to Bulls Despite Tre Jones' Career Night
Despite enduring a tough rebuilding rebuilding year during Victor Wembanyama's debut NBA season, the San Antonio Spurs found some positive momentum heading into Saturday night's game against the Chicago Bulls by winning two games in a row.
With Wembanyama sitting out the second night of a back-to-back, that two-game win streak came to an end. The Spurs put up a valiant effort against the Bulls but ultimately fell short, 122-116. San Antonio dropped to 7-31 on the season.
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Tre Jones stepped up in Wembanyama's absence by leading the Spurs with a career-best 30 points, nine rebounds and four assists while shooting 10-13 from the field, including 4-6 from deep. Keldon Johnson was San Antonio's second-leading scorer with 26 points off the bench. Johnson shot 8-14 overall, including 4-5 on 3s, and pitched in four rebounds and five assists as well.
The Bulls had three 20-point scorers in this one and seven players score in double-digits overall. Nikola Vucevic led the way for Chicago with 24 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. DeMar DeRozan and Ayo Dosunmu scored 20 and 21 points respectively for the Bulls.
Next up for the Spurs will be a five-game road trip, which will be their longest of the season so far. San Antonio will start the Eastern Conference trip off on Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks, followed by the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, the Washington Wizards next Saturday, and the Philadelphia 76ers next Monday.
Long road trips can really help a team bond – especially a young team that's still trying to find ways to string together success. Wembanyama should be back in action as the Spurs try to improve on their 4-15 road record.
