San Antonio Spurs vs. Chicago Bulls: Takeaways and Star Performer

The San Antonio Spurs (14-4) took on the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. The Bulls (10-5) came out on top 92-89 in thrilling fashion. Kawhi Leonard missed a three with four seconds to play, Tim Duncan got an offensive rebound before Tony Parker‘s three at the buzzer was blocked by Derrick Rose.

The Spurs went into the fourth quarter with a three point lead but they only finished with 16 points in the final period. The difference in the game was three-point shooting. San Antonio only made 2-for-14 threes, while the Bulls made 6-for-16.

Takeaways

–Kawhi Leonard comes up big

It was supposed to be a battle between two of the best wings in the league in Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler. Leonard scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Butler had one of his quietest games of the season, as he had 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Leonard got the better of Butler, but the Bulls came out on top.

–LaMarcus Aldridge with a huge performance

LaMarcus Aldridge has been quiet all season, but that changed on Monday night. Aldridge scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. The 30-year-old was 10-for-18 from the field. In the last two games combined Aldridge had 21 points and 10 rebounds.

–Bench struggles

The Spurs bench has been strong recently, but on Monday they struggled. After scoring 13 points in Saturday’s win, Patty Mills scored four points on 2-of-8 from the field. David West shot 1-for-5 from the field, scoring two points in 15 minutes.

Star Performer

You can go either way with the star performer. Aldridge and Leonard both played at a high level. Tony Parker was also solid scoring 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting and dishing out nine assists.

Next: Popovich Believes Leonard Can Be Dominate on Both Ends