SAN ANTONIO —
Pregame
About an hour before the Spurs tipped off against DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls, breaking news reverberated through the AT&T Center.
San Antonio announced that they have waived their star second-year guard Josh Primo in a move that has left much of the NBA world wondering what could have happened.
"It is our hope that, in the long run, this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua," Spurs CEO RC Buford said in a press release that added that the organization, coaches, players and executives have no further comments at this time.
Gregg Popovich was late to his pregame media availability, presumably because of the Primo situation. When asked why the team released the 6'6" 19-year-old, Popovich referenced the team's statement. He was selected just a year ago with the 12th pick in the 2021 draft, and the team was high on his potential and development. He's been the face of an advertising campaign for Self, the Spurs' new jersey partner.
The assembled press were stunned by the move that seemingly came out of the blue. The mood in the arena between the announcement and tipoff was surreal. Primo's jerseys were nowhere to be found in the team store, but he did appear in the hype video that plays on the jumbotron before the game.
Live
Game story
First Quarter
San Antonio came out of the gate on fire from deep. Keldon Johnson hit three from deep in the first few minutes, and Josh Richardson and Jeremy Sochan each knocked one down as the Spurs built a 17-5 lead.
DeMar DeRozan got buckets as he always does, and got a standing ovation after scoring the 20,000th point of his career. The Spurs doubled Chicago up 14-28, then game up a 13-2 run. San Antonio led 36-29 after the first quarter.
Second Quarter
Chicago went on another run to tie the game at 38. Sochan made a sick reverse dunk, then Blake Wesley drilled a three and finished a layup.
Jakob Poeltl tried a pass across the baseline that ricocheted off the backboard back to him, and he crammed home a reverse dunk.
The Bulls built a 9-point advantage before Doug McDermott hit a three, Sochan drove and dumped to Poeltl, and then McDermott did the same. Sochan hit an open corner three to put the Spurs back in front.
Zach Collins picked and rolled for a bucket, then picked and popped for three. San Antonio led 62-60 after an entertaining first half.
Third Quarter
Sochan finished an alley-oop dunk, and Keldon knocked down two more attempts from long range. The Bulls went on a DeRozan-infused run and took the lead back.
Collins continued to make a quiet impact on the game, hitting a three and a layup in the back-and-forth battle. Blake Wesley capped the quarter with a driving dunk to knot things up at 94.
Fourth Quarter
Sochan finished a dunk, then found fellow rookie Wesley in the corner for three. Chicago built the lead back out. Poeltl tapped out an offensive board, and Keldon took it in stride and finished through a foul, flexing into the crowd.
Johnson got more free throws, then hit a corner three to give the Spurs the lead and send the crowd into a frenzy. DeRozan answered with free throws, then Keldon took it to the rack strong and earned more free throws. He hit them both, giving him 30 points on the night and putting San Antonio back in front. He drove strong again, but got called for an offensive foul.
Josh Richardson whipped it to Tre Jones for a corner three and he drilled it. Sochan stepped in and took a charge, then Johnson drove and hit a rolling Poeltl for a bucket. The next trip down Jak put it on the floor and scooped it in.
Tre Jones threw the ball away, but a Bulls player saved it right to him and he found his way inside for a buzzer-beating basket. He hit some clutch free throws, and the Spurs secured a 129-124 win to head to 4-2 on the season. Johnson finished with a game-high 33 points, matching DeRozan's output.
