Coby White poured in 24 points and hit 5 of 7 attempts from beyond the arc as the visiting Chicago Bulls came back from a 13-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 121-112 on Friday for their fourth straight win.
Chicago won its second road game of the season while the Spurs dropped their 16th straight game overall, tying a dubious team record set last season.
The Bulls turned an 11-point third-quarter deficit into a four-point lead heading into the final period and continued to build their lead through the final 11 minutes. San Antonio was within 107-105 after a three-point play by Zach Collins with 5:05 to play, but Chicago scored seven of the game’s next eight points, built its lead to as many as 10 points and cruised to the win.
Nikola Vucevic added 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Bulls, with Patrick Williams and DeMar DeRozan each scoring 20 points and Torrey Craig finishing with 16.
Victor Wembanyama, 19, led the Spurs with 21 points and 20 rebounds, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to have a 20/20 game. Keldon Johnson added 20 points, and Tre Jones scored a season-high 18 points and dished out eight assists.
The Spurs opened the game with a new starting lineup that put Wembanyama at center for the first time this season, and it paid early dividends. San Antonio led 33-24 after the opening period as the rookie phenom grabbed eight rebounds in just seven minutes of court time and the Spurs poured in six 3-pointers in the quarter.
San Antonio pushed its advantage to 13 points when Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 1:25 to play in the half. Three free throws from DeRozan over the final 32 seconds of the quarter allowed the Bulls to pull within 63-52 at the break.
Jones and Johnson each scored 12 points in the first half to lead the Spurs while Wembanyama added 10 points and 11 boards. Vucevic led all scorers with 14 points and seven rebounds and Williams added 13 for the Bulls in the half.
Chicago took the lead on a 3-pointer by White at the 6:41 mark of the third quarter and expanded its advantage to as many as six points before settling for an 87-83 lead heading into the fourth.
–Field Level Media
