The San Antonio Spurs win eighth-straight game after victory over the Chicago Bulls
The San Antonio Spurs (9-1) won their eighth-straight game with a 103-94 victory over the Chicago Bulls (6-4) on Wednesday 17 November at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs’
hot start tied a franchise-best and marks the best start since Tim Duncan joined the team in 1997. Meanwhile, the Bulls dropped their first game after winning four straight contests.
The Spurs were led by Tony Parker, who scored 21 points and dished out seven assists in 36 minutes of action. Argentinian shooting guard Manu Ginobli, who was 2-for-3 from deep, finished
with 20 points, four rebounds, and five assists while Duncan had a monster double-double with 16 points and 18 rebounds. Richard Jefferson shot the ball poorly (3-for-10) but finished with 12 points and five rebounds. George Hill led all San Antonio bench
players with 14 points while Matt Bonner went 2-for-2 from three-point range to finish with eight points.
Derrick Rose followed up a 33-point night against the Houston Rockets the night before with another 33 point performance against the Spurs. Joakim Noah, second in the league in rebounding,
finished with 14 rebounds and 10 points while Luol Deng scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer chipped in with 10 apiece off the bench while starter Taj Gibson missed all seven of his shot attempts, finishing with zero points
and five rebounds.
After entering the half trailing by 10 points, the Spurs put together a great third quarter, outscoring the Bulls 37-12 in the period. The Spurs shot 71 per cent in the quarter while Chicago
went 6-for-23. The Bulls outscored the Spurs 35-29 in the final frame but it wasn’t enough to pull off the victory.
What they said
Rose tried to key another win for Chicago, after scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter the night before in their win over the Houston Rockets. But he couldn’t get it done.
"I don't know if it was fatigue," Rose said. "The good thing about the NBA is you play again in a few days. We still feel good about ourselves."
In the press room, reporters only wanted to talk about Parker and his divorce from actress Eva Longoria, which was announced earlier in the day. Parker only answered a few questions before
a team official told the media that anyone asking Parker personal questions would be cut off from the player.
"It's a difficult time right now for me and Eva," Parker said before the game. "We got a joint statement and everything else is our private life."
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich also commented on the divorce. Longoria provided the Spurs with some rare star power in their stands.
"This is a difficult situation for everyone, obviously," Popovich said. "Eva and Tony are two people that we love and care about. We wish them both the best as they move through this."
Despite some off-court issues, Parker is thrilled with his team’s hot start, their best since 1981.
"We talked about it all pre-season. In training camp, in pre-season -- that we wanted to have a good start and not have the same mistakes as last year," Parker said.
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