The San Antonio Spurs will look to regain their shooting touch when they host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday in an interconference clash.
This will be the only time the teams square off this year in the Alamo City, where the Spurs have lost their last two matchups against Chicago.
The Spurs return home after a 104-93 loss in Phoenix on Monday, their second defeat in the last three games following a four-game winning streak.
Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 25 points off the bench, while Victor Wembanyama contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds. Stephon Castle scored 16 points, Jeremy Sochan added 14, and Keldon Johnson put up 10 for San Antonio.
The loss eliminated the Spurs from the NBA Cup as they shot just 35 percent from the floor and 18.2 percent (8 of 44) from beyond the arc. Wembanyama was scoreless in the first half and went only 1 of 9 on his three-point attempts.
San Antonio’s defense held the Suns to 48.7 percent shooting from the field.
San Antonio trailed by 13 at the half but cut the deficit to two with 7 1/2 minutes to play in the third quarter. The lead was only four heading into the final quarter, but Phoenix went on a 7-0 run to open the quarter and stayed ahead from there.
Chicago heads south to San Antonio following a 128-102 win over Brooklyn on Monday, snapping a two-game losing streak. Josh Giddey recorded his first triple-double of the season with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Nikola Vucevic added 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, rookie Matas Buzelis scored a career-high 20 points, Zach LaVine had 18 points, Ayo Dosunmu put up 16, and Talen Horton-Tucker contributed 11 points for Chicago.
The Bulls shot 52.2 percent from the field and 34 percent from beyond the arc while holding significant advantages in rebounds (54-41), fastbreak points (32-15), and points in the paint (62-40).
The 20-year-old Buzelis has been playing a more significant role with the team, logging at least 17 minutes off the bench in four straight games for the first time. He drew plenty of praise from Chicago coach Billy Donovan for his perseverance.
