NBA scores: Spurs beat Bulls by double figures in Chicago

We’ve reached the point that we take the Spurs’ ability to withstand injuries to their best players for granted, but this is still an incredible achievement. Take away the three best players from any team in the league, and they would probably struggle to win 20 percent of their games. The Spurs, though, keep humming along, even against some of the league’s toughest teams.

How do they do it? By using an age-old offensive concept that too few teams in the league understand: misdirection.

via cjzero.com

San Antonio (41-12) used stout defense to stifle the Bulls and force 19 Chicago turnovers. They weren’t phased by Chicago’s defense on the other end of the floor, finishing with a 52-percent shooting performance that included hitting eight of 16 shots from the three-pont line while committing just eight giveaways of their own.

Chicago dominated the inside and scored 46 points in the paint to San Antonio’s 36. They outrebounded the normally prolific Spurs by a margin of 49-26, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a dismal 18-point fourth quarter.

George Hill led the Pacers (31-21) with 22 points, six assists and four rebounds. Indiana struggled to find any rhythm on offense and shot just 34.4 percent from the field and a pedestrian 5-of-22 from the three-point line.

Both teams shot poorly in the second half, as Brooklyn was just 37.8 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from the three-point line. Indiana shot 38.5 percent and just 16.7 percent from deep. The Nets led by as many as nine in the latter half before heading into the extra period.