San Antonio Spurs Game Grades vs Bulls: Bench Struggles

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The San Antonio Spurs (14-4) saw their five-game winning streak come to an end Monday night against the Chicago Bulls (10-5) at the United Center.

There is no other word that could describe the last four minutes of the game accept, ugly. Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker each had a shot in the final-seconds to possibly send the game into overtime.

Both attempts as you now know, no good.

Leonard had himself another solid game as he led with 25 points and eight rebounds. Parker chipped in 11 points and six assists.

Pau Gasol and the Chicago defense came up big in the final quarter. Gasol showed some emotion as he rejected a shot by LaMarcus Aldridge as he was driving towards the basket.

Nov 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) shoots the ball against Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) during the first quarter at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Aldridge, who is the second leading scorer on the Spurs had himself a solid outing as well. He finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and a block.

What has seem to be the achilles heel for the Spurs this season is closing out games. Heading into the fourth quarter San Antonio was holding on to just a three-point lead. Chicago would not back down as they were playing without guards Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks.

This did not seem to be an issue for the Bulls as they opened up the final quarter going on an 11-2 run.

Shooting struggles continue to plague San Antonio. The Spurs were 2 for 14 from 3-point range Monday night. Danny Green and Boris Diaw were credited for hitting the two.

Bench play has also been an area that the Spurs depend so much on. Against the Bulls, nonexistent. Spurs second unit were outscored 30 to 15.

San Antonio ended the month of November with a record of 13-3. That is some sort of positive heading into December right?

11 points (6-12 FG), 9 assists — Continues to be the leader for the San Antonio Spurs running the offense. Parker shot well from the floor and distributed the ball well. With Leonard and Aldridge both having solid games on the offensive end, Parker saw the option of feeding the two through-out the game and getting his buckets when he could. I felt Parkers aggression dwindled in the fourth compared to recent games.. PG. San Antonio Spurs. TONY PARKER. B-

DANNY GREEN. D. 9 points (3-10 FG, 1-5 3-PT), 4 rebounds, 2 steals — Though he was +9 when he was in the game, Green is still struggling on the offensive end. Green scored nine points but shot horrible from the floor. It was painful to watch a shooter like Green struggle so much.. SG. San Antonio Spurs

A+. 25 points (9-21 FG, 7-9 FT), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals — Mr. Stat Stuffer. Has this not stuck with anyone yet? Leonard continues to fill the stat sheet for the Spurs. Even though his attempt in the final seconds fell short, Leonard still did what he could to keep this team in the game. He continues to improve each and every game.. SF. San Antonio Spurs. KAWHI LEONARD

A+. 21 points (10-18 FG), 12 rebounds, 1 block — Aldridge complimented Leonard very well on Monday night. The two combined for almost half of the teams points. Feeling more and more at home with the team, Aldridge is starting to pick his spots well on the floor. His mid-range jumper can make a defenders life tough, and when you step out to defend, he will take it to the rim.. PF. San Antonio Spurs. LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE

San Antonio Spurs. TIM DUNCAN. A-. 6 points (3-7 FG), 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block — He continues to play at a high-level and does the little things to keep this team in position to pull out wins. Duncan was a monster on the boards for the Spurs.. C

D. 15 points (6-22 FG, 1-6 3PT), 10 rebounds, 4 assists — Ugly performance. This is by far the worst outing the bench has had through the 18 games this season. If there was a bright spot from the bench, Boris Diaw. Diaw had five points and six rebounds. Yeah, thats it.. Bench. San Antonio Spurs. SECOND UNIT

Next: San Antonio Spurs vs Chicago Bulls: Takeaways & Star Performer