The Chicago Bulls reached new heights on Thursday night in San Antonio, posting their season’s highest score with a dominant 139-124 win over the Spurs.

This was the 11th game of the season in which the Bulls recorded at least 30 assists – and their seventh straight game in which they scored 115 or more points. The Bulls achieved the dominant win without Patrick Williams (foot), Coby White (ankle) and Lonzo Ball (knee, as a precaution).

Here are six takeaways from the win.

1. Nikola Vučević was unstoppable

Few NBA veterans have experienced a resurgence like Vučević, who fueled the Bulls with a season-high 39 points – just four shy of his career best.

A recurring theme for Bulls veterans is that Vučević chose his moments to excel offensively. He scored 13 points in the first half, the standard for a center who averaged 20.9 points per game this season. But as the Bulls faltered in the second half, Vučević stepped up to the plate, scoring 13 points in both the third and fourth quarters while picking apart the Spurs’ defense.

Vučević did not rely too heavily on any aspect of his game to increase his scoring rate. He went 2-for-6 on 3-pointers and made all five of his attempts inside the restricted zone.

2. Ayo Dosunmu achieved a triple-double

While Vučević was busy racking up points, Dosunmu stole the spotlight with a milestone: the first triple-double of his NBA career.

From the opening whistle, Dosunmu took over the presenting duties for White in the starting lineup and totaled eight assists and zero turnovers in the first half. He balanced this style of play with pinpoint shots (3 on 3 from behind the arc) and grabbed three offensive rebounds.

Dosunmu finished the game with 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, marking his first triple-double since playing for Illinois in February 2021, when he recorded triple-doubles against Wisconsin and Minnesota within two weeks of his senior season.

3. An explosive start

It didn’t take long for the Bulls to find their offensive rhythm in San Antonio, tying their season high with 73 points in the first half. The Bulls previously scored 73 first-half points against the Cleveland Cavaliers in November.

The Bulls outscored the Spurs 36-22 in the first quarter, powered by Dosunmu’s 11 points. It was an efficient loss for the Bulls, who shot 60% from the floor and 56.3% from behind the arc in the first half. The Bulls harassed the Spurs on offense in the first half, scoring 16 second-chance points off seven offensive rebounds.

4. No Wembanyama, no problem

Zach LaVine praised Spurs second-year star Victor Wembanyama before Thursday’s game, describing the center as “probably the best defensive player in the league.”

LaVine had a simple adjustment to take on the famous shot blocker: “Don’t take contested layups, I’m telling you that.”

But LaVine ultimately didn’t have to follow his own advice. Wembanyama was forced to sit out due to back pain, his fourth absence of the season. The frontcourt star’s absence allowed the Bulls to flip the script and enjoy an unexpected size advantage in many of their rotations against the Spurs, which Vučević took advantage of for his high-scoring night.

Interestingly, LaVine – who scored 11 points on Thursday – has yet to play against Wembanyama. In the last two Bulls-Spurs meetings, one or both players were injured.

5. Matas Buzelis threw it down

The rookie was well on his way to earning another 20-minute rotation when the unexpected happened – LaVine caught him right in the nose with an accidental elbow as he backed away from a rebound. The blow immediately sent Buzelis to the bench as he tried to stop the bleeding with a towel, but he eventually went to the locker room to receive treatment on his nose and did not return.