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Spurs go for their fifth straight win

Jan 15, 2007 - 3:17 PM San Antonio (27-11) at Chicago (21-17) 2:00 pm EST

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs have proved that their skid earlier this monthly merely was a blip on the radar screen.

Duncan and the surging Spurs shoot for their fifth straight win Monday when they visit the Chicago Bulls on Monday.

San Antonio was uncharacteristically bad down the stretch during its three-game skid from January 2-5, losing by five points or less in each of the three defeats.

But the Spurs have bounced back with a vengeance since then, winning by an average of 12.5 points during their current four-game run.

Duncan has been a key to San Antonio's surge, averaging 15.8 points and 10.5 rebounds over that stretch.

Duncan was instrumental in Saturday's 93-80 win over the Washington Wizards, collecting 18 points and 11 boards. Manu Ginobili paced the Spurs with 19 points in the contest.

San Antonio can match a season best with its fifth straight win Monday. The Spurs will have to do so against a Bulls team which hopes to carry momentum from Saturday's 111-66 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Ben Gordon scored 21 of his 24 points in the first half for Chicago, which snapped a three-game skid with the win.

The Bulls will be hard-pressed to duplicate the offensive performance against San Antonio, which boasts the league's second-best scoring defense at 90.3 points per game.

The Spurs also have owned the Bulls in recent years, winning 14 of the last 16 overall meetings and five straight games here. Chicago, which dropped a 100-83 decision in San Antonio on November 17, has not beaten the Spurs here since December 28, 2000.