GAMEDAY AT A GLANCE
Chicago Bulls (6-23) vs. Spurs (15-14)
When, where: Saturday, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center
TV: KENS 5, 7 p.m.
Last season: Spurs won series 2-0
All-time series record: Spurs lead 55-33
Season series: Spurs lead 1-0
Last meeting: Spurs 108, Bulls 107, Spurs 111, Nov. 25, Chicago
Bulls' last game: Lost to Magic 97-91, Thursday, Orlando, Fla.
Spurs' last game: Beat Clippers 125-87, Thursday, AT&T Center
Bulls' last 10 games/streak: 1-9, lost three
Spurs' last 10 games/streak: 6-4, won four
Bulls' injury/inactive report: Forward Chandler Hutchison (GI illness), probable; guard Zach LaVine (left ankle injury), out; guard Denzel Valentine (left ankle surgery), out.
Spurs' injury/inactive report: Center Pau Gasol (left foot soreness), out; forward Chimezie Metu (G League assignment), out; forward Ben Moore (G League assignment), out; guard Dejounte Murray (torn right anterior cruciate ligament), out; guard Lonnie Walker IV (G League assignment), out.
Notable: The Spurs end their six-game home stand Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, who are coached by former Spurs assistant coach Brett Brown . . . The Silver and Black's four-game win streak matches their longest of the season. They won four straight in an eight-day span (Oct. 27-Nov. 3) and are 9-12 since then . . . The Spurs are the only NBA team with an all-time winning record against every team in the league . . . The Silver and Black have held back-to-back opponents under 90 points for the first time since 2016 . . . San Antonio's 38-point margin of victory against the Clippers on Thursday night was its biggest of the season.
GAME PREVIEW
Even when they were three games under .500 and people were starting to write the obituary of their lost season, the Spurs expressed confidence they could right the ship and hit their stride.
It’s still too early to tell whether the Silver and Black have turned the proverbial corner, but they have shown flashes of promise while reeling off four consecutive victories during a long home stand that ends Monday night.
If nothing else, the Spurs have shown they’re on the right track, even if they still have much work to do, especially on defense.
“You can’t get too high, you can’t get too low,” starting forward Dante Culpepper said, repeating a familiar Spurs refrain after Saturday morning’s shootaround. “You can’t take these wins that we had (in the past week) and think we’re the best, think we’re going all the way.
“But you’ve got to remember what happened, where you came from. We got embarrassed a few times and we’ve got to keep that bottled up and remember how that felt.”
The Spurs (15-14) continue their six-game home stand Saturday night against the staggering Chicago Bulls (6-23). San Antonio edged the Bulls 108-107 in their first meeting Nov. 26 in Chicago. The Bulls are last in the Eastern Conference standings and only Phoenix (5-24) has a worse record in the NBA.
Saturday’s game will be broadcast on KENS 5, the official TV station of the San Antonio Spurs. The pregame show starts at 7.
San Antonio fell to 11-14 with a 121-113 loss to the Lakers on Dec. 5 in Los Angeles, but the Silver and Black beat the Lakers 133-120 when they started their home stand two nights later. One more consecutive defeat would have dropped the Spurs four games below .500 for the first time since Nov. 15, 1996.
The Silver and Black have looked like a different team in the past week, beating Utah (110-97), Phoenix (111-86) and the Los Angeles Clippers (125-87) after turning the tables on the Lakers. The 38-point margin of victory against the Clippers on Thursday night is the largest of the season for the Spurs.
San Antonio’s much-maligned defense has shown signs of improvement during the home stand, holding three opponents under 100 points and the last two under 90.
“I thought that we played a really good defensive game,” coach Gregg Popovich said after the victory over the Clippers. “You know, that fuels your offense in most situations, so I like to think we’re getting better – more consistent defensively, and I think that showed tonight.”
After yielding 57 points to the Clippers in the first half, the Silver and Black gave up only 30 in the second. L.A. struggled offensively, hitting only 35.7 percent (30-84) from the field. The Clippers made 10 of 31 three-pointers.
“Defensively, I think everyone was just active tonight,” backup guard Patty Mills said after the win against the Clippers. “I think that’s the thing I was most pumped about, just being active. One guy messed up on defense, there was someone else there to have his back. That stuff doesn’t come that easily. That’s the way we want to play for sure.”
The Spurs kept the Clippers on their heels with their crisp execution on offense, shooting 57.8 percent (48-83) and nailing 10 of 22 attempts from beyond the arc.
LaMarcus Aldridge (27) and Rudy Gay (21) led the way, combining for 48 points while connecting on 20 of 24 field-goal attempts. Gay was 8 of 10 from the field and Aldridge hit 12 of 14 shots. Aldridge did not play in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs cap their home stand Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, who are one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.