The San Antonio Spurs have matched the kind of franchise history they'd rather not. A 121-112 loss to the Chicago Bulls is their 16th in a row. That matches a streak set just last year as the longest the team has ever endured.
Here are three key takeaways from a game the Spurs can now hope enters their record books because a setback in their next contest would mean that night would go down as the new record.
New Spurs starting line-up…again
A game after inserting Cedi Osman into the starting line up for Jeremy Sochan, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich tinkered with the first five again. Malaki Branham replaced Cedi Osman, joining Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Sochan as starters.
Against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, Osman replaced Sochan, starting alongside Zach Collins, Wembanyama, Vassell and Johnson. With Collins coming off the bench on Friday night, it represented the first time in his young career that Wemby started at center. The first overall pick in this past summer's draft responded by becoming the youngest player in NBA history with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a game. He is 19 years and 338 days old, surpassing Dwight Howard for the record. Wemby's 21-point, 20-rebound outing is worth — and will get — a separate story.
Asked following the setback to the Bulls if he intends to take another look at the this latest line-up, Popovich left no doubt, declaring, “Absolutely.”
Spurs postgame
Asked by @mikefinger, Pop answers “Absolutely,” when asked if he wants to take another look at tonight’s starting lineup (Wemby, Branham, Vassell, Sochan and Johnson).⬇️
Also answered follow up on whether Victor being the only ‘big’ hurt the #Spurs rebounding. pic.twitter.com/oULJ6JXEzj
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) December 9, 2023
Spurs' third-quarter woes continue
As common as losing is becoming for the Silver and Black, their third-quarter troubles aren't far behind in terms of a trend line. Whereas earlier in the season the Spurs were falling big (they matched a league mark by losing three of their first 11 games by 30 or more points), they're now losing leads shortly after playing good first halves.
“It's been a combination of things. Turnovers is something that's consistent. Tonight, O (offensive)-boards. throughout the entire game but, obviously, in the third quarter as well. We stopped hitting shots as well and they just picked up their physicality and ended up getting to the free throw line as well,” Spurs guard Tre Jones said. “It was just a combination of things and that's where it turned the game.”
Chicago outscored the home team 35-20 in the third period, turning an 11-point deficit into an 87-83 lead going into the fourth.
Spurs match franchise infamy
Save the best for last. Or in this case, the worst.
This is the biggest takeaway of the night.
Before last season, no Spurs team had ever lost more than 13 consecutive games. The team has now lost 16 straight games in each of back-to-back years.
The latest in a streak that dates back five weeks went the way so many others have during the span.
“Well, we've been here before. They competed their butts off. A lot of good things but (in the) fourth quarter, people up their defense and we have trouble scoring so we didn't keep up the scoring in that regard. We just move on, go on to the next one,” Popovich said.
Last season's Spurs 16-game losing ended with a February 28 102-94 win at the Utah Jazz. This year's version will look to break the franchise record skid at the Houston Rockets on Monday.
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