Spurs' nine-game streak meets winless-at-home Bulls at a 14.5-point spread

San Antonio arrives at the United Center at 9-2 with nine straight wins, and Chicago is 1-8 with seven straight losses. The Spurs are 14.5-point favourites, exactly where the number opened. Victor Wembanyama is the headline, with 40 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks in 25 minutes of a 122-96 win over Phoenix on Monday. The main questions are whether Chicago's defence can slow anyone and whether a price this big has already absorbed the gap.

The season numbers say that gap is wide. San Antonio's net rating is 10.9 points per 100 possessions, rank 1. Chicago's is -15.8, rank 30. The Bulls' defensive rating of 122 is also rank 30, and opponents shoot a 56.5% effective field-goal percentage against them. Their own offence is not covering for it: 48.7% effective field-goal percentage, rank 29, and 27.2% from three on a 46.5% attempt rate. San Antonio's defensive rating is 105.5, rank 4. Samples are small, with nine games for Chicago and eleven for San Antonio, but the direction is consistent.

The total is where the evidence conflicts. Chicago plays the fastest pace in the league at 106.1 possessions per game, and it allows 129.3 points per game, rank 29. San Antonio's pace is 101.7, rank 16, and only 27.3% of its games have gone over the closing total, against 44.4% for Chicago. The total has edged up from 237.5 to 238.5, a small move toward the Over. Bets run 64% Over, but money is a roughly even 53% Over to 47% Under.

On the side, support for San Antonio is heavy. The Spurs hold 74% of spread bets and 81% of the money, and 96% of moneyline tickets. They are -994 on the moneyline with Chicago at +555, a small move toward San Antonio from the open. The spread has not budged despite the one-sided action. San Antonio is only 5-6 against the spread this season despite its record, while Chicago is 4-5. That suggests earlier prices already demanded a lot of the Spurs. The 14.5 points also sits above San Antonio's average scoring margin of 11.7 points per game. Still, the Spurs have covered five straight on the road in non-division, non-conference games.

Injuries add some uncertainty on both sides. Tobias Harris is out for San Antonio and Devin Vassell is questionable with a groin issue. Chicago lists Norman Powell (shoulder), Tobe Awaka (back) and Zach Collins (illness) as questionable. The Spurs are on two days of rest after a road win, and the Bulls on three after a 121-127 home loss.

The last two meetings both went to San Antonio, 121-117 in Chicago in November 2025 and 129-114 at home on March 31. Quality favours the Spurs by a wide margin. The unsettled parts are whether the spread has room left after the heavy backing and whether Chicago's pace pushes the total up against a team whose games have mostly stayed under.