Game Thread Spurs (7-2) @ Bulls (6-3) (Mon 11/10/2025) [7:00PM CDT]

[wemvp]

The Bulls didn't follow the leader. They stayed home on Champ and Barnes and left Wemby singled up a ton. Worked for most of the game, mainly because the Spurs defense was shit in the 2nd and 3rd, but it beat them in the 4th. Coach should have switched to doubles in the last 5 min to give him different looks.

Thought mitch out coached his opponent tonight.

 

[timtonymanu]

In 3 weeks we went from "let's make the play-in" to "need a top 3 seed at worst"

I'm honestly okay with them just making the playoffs lol. I meant in the sense getting a top 3 seed to have HCA in the 1st round. Too premature to talk about what seed they get but right now, this is a pretty good team.

 

[Mugen]

Defense wasn't there in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Gonna chalk it up to some of the funky lineups that Mitch was running, seemed like poor communication from guys not used to playing with one another in real games. Saw it happen on offense a few times as well when Fox threw a few passes into the stands because he didn't realize Devin/Champ were still moving.

All fixable tbh, and they've shown that they can lock in on D when it counts.

 

[spursistan]

Losing to suns and lakers only after the first 10 games is not bad. Hell, they nearly won against the Lakers too. Just need to get a top 3 west seed at worst when it’s all said and done.

Being 3 games ahead in loss column over the first play-in spot is really nice work after just 10 games. It give us a bit of margin just in case Wemby has to sit a week or two with an injury..it is long season still, but Spurs got off to near dream start considering key pieces like Fox/Kornet missing 7/8 games each..

 

[PanameSpur]

Don't think there's positional requirements, but its gonna be 16 US vs 8 international...that could help cuz the 5 best players are all international plus Senguin, Murray, Paolo, Avdila, Lauri, Barret, Embiid, Zubac, Wagner, Siakam and Sabonis could all have a case by then. Mathurin was looking like an AS before he got hurt. Half of the top 30 this season may be international, but limited to just 8 AS slots.

At best Spurs will get 2, so it depends on Castle maintaining his form (and the TO trend) AND Fox needs to coast the 1st part of the season.

It is possible mostly because of his defensive impact, it's just absurd for a 2nd year player, he's not just athletic, he's smart and a quick learner.

 

[Itzsoweezee]

Best win of the season. To come back like that on the road and completely shut the other team down defensively for the entire fourth quarter is the type of thing championship level teams do. Just really impressive

 

[wemvp]

Defense wasn't there in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Gonna chalk it up to some of the funky lineups that Mitch was running, seemed like poor communication from guys not used to playing with one another in real games. Saw it happen on offense a few times as well when Fox threw a few passes into the stands because he didn't realize Devin/Champ were still moving.

All fixable tbh, and they've shown that they can lock in on D when it counts.

The Fox, Kornet, Watters, Olynyk, Carter Bryant lineup predictably flamed out in about 3 min of court time

 

[Mugen]

Grayson Allen with 42 tonight, i don't feel as bad about that Suns L tbh

 

[dn0774]

Awesome come back win after the defense fell off a cliff for a bit there.

Feels like Castle and Wemby aren't getting near enough respect from the officials on their drives to the hoop. Gotta watch more SGA or Jimmy Butler tape I guess.

 

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Surprised Vassell only took 4 shots

 

[wemvp]

Surprised Vassell only took 4 shots

Are you suggesting he was "heads" up tonight?

 

[LakerHater]

 

[Spursgenius]

Might sound like an overreaction, but if we're to be competitive, we need at least one more legit 6'8+ shooter who's not a negative on defense.
4-24 from 3pt if we exclude Wemby.
That just can't happen.

Bryant eventually

 

[Naga]

Kornet is huge for this team. Hope he stays healthy the rest of the way. Allows Wemby to be Wemby.

 

[Fabbs]

Didn't matter but could have rung up the defender for the mini Zaza crap and 4 point play possiblity.
Barely but he still did it.

 

[RodeoShow99]

Chicago had good defensive schemes on SA tonight and had answers on offenses to whatever they were thrown at with cutting guards and finding open shooters. I think this spurs team may go far if they can keep responding to adversity.

 

[90sBum]

I think a big takeaway for me is that we were down by 12 with ten minutes left and pulled away with the win! What a difference from last year.
Walkoff Wemby

 

[BatManu20]

Castle's really been ballin' lately. Didn't expect him to turn into such a playmaker this season. If/when he cuts those turnovers down and starts hitting his 3 at even an average rate, he's going to be a problem.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1988086806987133296

 

[BatManu20]

And S/O to Luke for his performance tonight. Great to have him back, he's definitely a difference-maker.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1988086617446236644

 

[scott]

And S/O to Luke for his performance tonight. Great to have him back, he's definitely a difference-maker.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1988086617446236644

He did all this AND got everyone in the crowd free a hot dog!

 

[Weeks]

wonder how long it took us to get 8 wins last year

 

[spurraider21]

wonder how long it took us to get 8 wins last year

november 21. we won the game to climb to 8-8 for the year

 

[gilmor2002]

Luke was so huge in that 4Q' nothing can be said of this guy fit besides Wemby

 

[Fireball]

Did not watch the game live. As always super fun to go through a game thread in which the team sucked through stretches and pulled out the win. It obviously was never a only a Spurstalk thing ... its a basketball fan thing to go off the rails quickly.

I am glad that Mitch's rotations were called out here. He really has a problem if too many guys are available it seems. Some guys never got into a flow.

So happy Victor found his stroke from three. That is the alien/unicorn we need. Prior to the game I doubted the Bulls would leave Vucibaby on an island with Wemby but thankfully they did.

Props to the Bulls - they are playing awesome and that without their starting point guard. They had the Spurs defense on skates and once again showed that our defense is 90% Wemby but as soon as teams move the ball well, they get wide open threes easily. That has not changed.

While I enjoyed the conversation with Will Purdue, it was a bit annyoing that the announcers completely forgot calling the game one bit. It was distracting and as it coincided with the worst stretch of the Spurs in this game, it felt weird.

8-2 .... wow! On to the next ten

 

[Ice009]

I just finished watching the game now too. Couldn't watch it live. Great to come in here after a big win. I agree with what you said about the defense and Victor being a huge part of it. I really don't like that teams are getting so many open threes. The Spurs have to figure that out.

Why was Fox acting so passive tonight?

It's only his second game back and it's on the road. His first game back was probably running on adrenaline and it was at home. He's still probably very rusty and hasn't really practiced much with his teammates. Gotta give him some time (5-10 games IMO) to get it a groove himself and with his teammates.

That challenge was a weird rookie move, then again he should be coaching some high school and not in the NBA.

The first quarter challenge? Very weird that he didn't challenge one at the end of the last game for Castle or other ones for Victor, but does it for Devin in the first quarter on something that wasn't even close to an obvious bad call. Yeah, really weird challenge.

I would say Champagnie plays much better at home

That's what I thought before the game, but looking at his splits on the road and home games, he seems to play similar in both. Maybe I need to try and find stats between home and road on how he's played in games that matter (1st half of last season and this season). Some of those road game stats could have been bumped up in the meaningless games in the years the Spurs weren't a good team.