There are only two weeks left in the regular season. The playoff contenders are using the final stretch to jockey for position and secure home court, while the league’s bottom dwellers shut things down and look to improve their lottery odds. Monday night’s contest between the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls will be a matchup between teams in each of those categories.
The Bulls have officially been eliminated from playoff contention and are dealing with several injuries. They’ll be without big men Zach Collins and Jalen Smith, and ball-handlers Jaden Ivey and Anfernee Simons against the Spurs. Chicago is still feisty, though. They have solid young players like Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis.
San Antonio knows the Bulls’ spoiler ability all too well. It took a 32-19 fourth quarter for the Spurs to secure a 121-117 win against Chicago earlier this season. San Antonio’s eight-game winning streak has been defined by blowouts started by early leads. The Spurs will need a good start to bury the Bulls as they look to gain ground on the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference.
March 30th, 2026 | 7 PM CT
Watch: Peacock | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: Harrison Ingram – Out (G League), David Jones Garcia – Out (G League), Emanuel Miller – Out (G League)
Bulls Injuries: Zach Collins – Out (toe), Noa Essengue – Out (shoulder), Jaden Ivey – Out (knee), Mac McClung – Out (G League), Nick Richards – Questionable (elbow), Anfernee Simons – Out (hand), Jalen Smith – Out (calf), Guerschon Yabusele – Questionable (ankle)
If there is one thing Chicago has, it’s a plethora of guards who can handle the rock. Giddey is one of the league’s best point forwards, Colin Sexton has added a necessary veteran presence, Rob Dillingham has shown flashes, and Spurs fans will be familiar with the game of Tre Jones. With all of their ball handlers, the Bulls match up with the Spurs surprisingly well on the perimeter. Chicago’s best bet to contend with the Spurs is to utilize all its ball handlers to shift the defense and create easy looks.
With Nick Richards listed as questionable for Monday night’s game, the Bulls’ tallest player could be 6-10 forward Leonard Miller. In case you forgot, the Spurs have a fairly talented 7-foot-4 big man named Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio should dominate the paint against the smaller Bulls. As Wembanyama chases the MVP, the Spurs could force-feed the big man inside for easy buckets against a weaker Chicago front line.
Stephon Castle had his fourth triple-double of the season in the team’s last win against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Sophomore has been playing some fantastic basketball down the stretch, averaging 16.6 points, 7.7 assists, and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 48.8% from the field and 40% from three. He’ll have the opportunity to go off again against the Bulls, who give up the third-most points per game in the NBA.