NBA: CHICAGO BULLS HAND SAN ANTONIO SPURS NINTH CONSECUTIVE LOSS

As the visiting Chicago Bulls defeated the struggling San Antonio Spurs 128-104 on Monday night, Nikola Vucevic had a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Andre Drummond set season highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds in just 21 minutes.

The Bulls scored a total of seven times in double figures en route to their third straight triumph.

San Antonio suffered their ninth consecutive defeat, falling two short of its season high. For the first time since 1988-89, the Spurs have experienced multiple losing streaks of at least eight games.

Up until the last minutes of the third quarter, Chicago had trouble breaking free of the Spurs’ defense. Drummond, who was 9-for-9 from the field in the second half, gave the team a much-needed boost off the bench.

For San Antonio, Keldon Johnson scored 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting. Malaki Branham scored 15 points, Josh Richardson had 11, and Jakob Poeltl added 14 points and nine rebounds.

The Spurs began their nine-game road trip on Monday.

In his last 18 games, Vucevic has recorded 16 double-doubles, helping the Bulls tie the Spurs’ season series. For Chicago, four players scored at least 19 points.

DeMar DeRozan added 19 points, while Zach LaVine scored 20. Ayo Dosunmu (age 10), Coby White (12), and Patrick Williams were the next three. DeRozan had the most assists in the game with five.

Chicago led 62-59 at the break after shooting 54.5 percent overall compared to San Antonio’s 50 percent. The Spurs used their own inside talent to trim the Bulls’ lead while outscoring Chicago 31-23 in the second quarter. The Bulls had led by as much as 12 points in the first quarter as they established an advantage in the paint.

Johnson, who had a sore ankle and was doubtful going into the game, was the top scorer with 17 points at the half, while the Bulls’ balanced attack was headed by Vucevic (15) and LaVine (11).

For the Bulls, Alex Caruso missed his second consecutive game due to discomfort in his left foot.