The Chicago Bulls had San Antonio right where they wanted them. Up 22 points, in control, and looking like a team that might finally snap out of it, Chicago still managed to let the game slip away.
That kind of loss hits hard when you’re already sitting at 1-9. The Bulls have now dropped eight straight, and the latest one only deepens the frustration because it wasn’t just a bad night - it was another self-inflicted collapse.
Chicago came out sharp in the first half and put 70 points on the board against the Spurs. The ball was moving, the offense had life, and the Bulls looked like they were headed toward a much-needed win. Then the third quarter arrived, and everything unraveled.
Eight turnovers in that period gave San Antonio the opening it needed to wipe out Chicago’s cushion. What had looked like a solid, encouraging performance quickly turned into the same old story: a Bulls team that finds new ways to beat itself.
That’s where the spotlight turns to head coach Tiago Splitter. He inherited a tough situation, and nobody was expecting a sudden turnaround or a surprise playoff push. But there’s a real difference between losing because the other team is better and losing because your group can’t hold a 22-point lead.
That part lands on coaching.
At some point, the adjustments have to come before the game is already gone. Chicago didn’t just get outplayed; it lost control of a game it had already built a huge advantage in.
And the problems go well beyond one ugly quarter. The defense has been shaky, turnovers keep killing momentum, and the Bulls rarely seem to string together four steady quarters. That’s a bad combination for any team, and it’s especially rough for one trying to find its footing.
Now there’s another complication: Chicago will be without rookie Caleb Wilson for the next several weeks after he reportedly underwent surgery on his fractured right hand. That only makes Splitter’s task harder.
Still, injuries can’t explain everything. The Bulls had more than enough chances to put away San Antonio and didn’t do it.
Nobody expects this roster to chase a championship. Nobody is asking Splitter to work miracles. But a team should at least compete, make adjustments and close out a game when it has one in its grasp.
Right now, even that feels like a stretch.
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