Depth. Check.Conditioning. Check.Three-point shooting. Check.Improved defense. Check.Superstar closer? Uh, repeat, superstar closer? Pencils down, Arturas.Yes, Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas should get some credit for an improved product he’s built for the 2025-26 campaign, but for the third straight game – and a third straight Bulls loss – it was the haves taking advantage of the have nots. The incomplete that still sits on Karnisovas’ report card.In Milwaukee on Friday, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo who finished with 41 and was unstoppable in the fourth. A night later in Cleveland, it was Donovan Mitchell’s turn, as he scored 13 of his 29 down the stretch. And in Monday’s latest blown lead and heartbreak for the Bulls (6-4) it was San Antonio’s unicorn in Victor Wembanyama, who scored 18 of his 38 points in that final quarter to deliver the 121-117 Spurs win.Different night, different star player, same result.“They’re the best players in the league, and they’re going to do what they do,” Bulls center Nikola Vucevic said after the latest loss. “Some games we’re going to be able to limit them. When they get it going, I don’t think there’s a whole lot you can do. Even against teams that have those great players we’ve played well. (Monday) we had a chance, Cleveland we had a chance as well. Just didn’t close it down the stretch.”The Ninth Wonder of the World was as good as advertised early on, not only on the offensive end with nine first-quarter points, but the way Wembanyama changed the Bulls offense in that opening stanza. More like the way he intimidated it.Wembanyama only had one block in his first six-plus minutes of work, but he had Bulls players second guessing driving the paint time and time again. It’s like they were seeing a ghost – all 7-foot-4 of him.There was one possession in that opening quarter in which Tre Jones was pushing the ball up the floor, but saw Wembanyama lurking. He then passed to Isaac Okoro in the corner, only to get the ball delivered right back to him, all the while Wembanyama was floating around in the paint, daring a Bulls player to get froggy.Jones drove, kicked it back to Okoro, who then threw it to Matas Buzelis. Buzelis found a wide open Vucevic on the right wing, but rather than drive the lane into Wemby Territory, he passed it to Jones for a corner three. One problem: Wembanyama closed out Jones’ way. The crack Jones and the Bulls needed.With Wembanyama away from the basket finally, Jones dumped the ball to Vucevic, who found a cutting Buzelis on the opposite side of the where Wembanyama was.A nice basketball play, but one that showed just how much work it would take to Wemby-proof possessions.Where the game started flipping was in the third quarter, as Wembanyama was picking up fouls – three to be exact – and Bulls players were getting a bit braver in attacking the rim. That’s how a 12-point first-quarter Spurs lead was erased, as the home team outscored San Antonio 34-26 in the third.With a less aggressive big man to swat balls out of the sky, the Bulls shot 12-of-21 (.571) from the field and 4-of-6 from three as insurance.Without Josh Giddey (ankle) to help the late-game pace, all of a sudden it was a game again. After Luke Kornet hit two free throws it was just a two-point lead with just under three minutes left. Tre Jones connected on a floater and Kornet was then sent back to the line keeping the deficit to a basket.Then Wembanyama took over, nailing two key three-pointers with under a minute left.“Those losses hurt for sure,” Vucevic added. “It’s part of the season. You go through the ups and downs.”
White practiced Monday with the Windy City Bulls of the G League to test the strained right calf that has sidelined him since the season started and might make his debut next week.
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The Bulls don’t have a pure isolation superstar who can get a basket when desperation time comes. In back-to-back losses in Milwaukee and Cleveland, they’ve watched that type of star lead to their downfall.
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After Giannis Antetokounmpo showed the Bulls MVP basketball Friday night, it was Donovan Mitchell’s turn a night later. The Cavs All-Star scored 29, and, suddenly, after a hot start, the Bulls are 6-3.
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