On Monday, the Chicago Bulls suffered a heartbreaking 121-117 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. It was Victor Wembanyama who rose to the occasion with a pair of back-to-back three-pointers in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
In the process, the Bulls lost their third consecutive game and are now 6-4. However, the Bulls still had a chance to come out on top. In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Kevin Huerter was given the ball of an inbounds pass and shot an off-balanced three on the left wing.
Ultimately, it didn't go in, the Spurs grabbed the ball, and the Bulls were forced to foul with 18 seconds left.
In retrospect, head coach Billy Donovan openly admitted that while he trusted Huerter's judgement, he shouldn't have taken the shot, per K.C. Johnson on the Chicago Sports Network. All in all, Donovan wanted to “extend the game”.
Altogether, Huerter finished the game with 23 points and four three-pointers. Additionally, Huerter was in the starting five after Josh Giddey sat out due to an ankle injury.
This year, Huerter is averaging 14.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Additionally, he is shooting 50% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc. Last February, Huerter arrived at the Bulls as part of the trade that sent Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings.
The Bulls did win the battle at the three-point line
Altogether, the Bulls shot 42.1% from beyond the arc, whereas the Spurs shot 30.3%. In addition to Huerter's four three-pointers, another pair of players excelled in that category as well.
For instance, Nikola Vucevic was 3-for-5 (60%) from three-point range and had 11 points overall. Matas Buzelis finished the game going 2-for-3 (66.7%) at the three-point line and 15 points in total.
Plus, Ayo Dosunmu came away with 20 points and was also 3-for-5 (60%) from beyond the arc. Also off the bench, Jevon Carter was 2-for-3 (66.7%) from downtown and had six points of his own.
