CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls missed three shots in the first quarter Wednesday night.

On 20 attempts from the field, Chicago hit 17 times, including six of its eight tries from beyond the arc. By the time the opening period ended, the Bulls had amassed 41 points, shot 85 percent from the field and left the San Antonio Spurs searching for answers.

Mitch Johnson didn't want to discredit the kind of effort the Bulls pitched on their home floor. But he duly noted that San Antonio had done little to prevent just about anything.

"I'm not going to sit here and say that they (the Bulls) didn't make plays or make shots," the coach said postgame. "It just felt like there was very little resistance (from us)."

The Bulls' torrid shooting continued into the second quarter. At halftime, Chicago had built a 70-56 advantage on 66 percent shooting from the field and 67 percent from deep. Its lead reached as many as 22 points, leaving the Spurs with plenty of ground to make up.

Victor Wembanyama didn't mince words about his team's first-half performance.

"They wanted (it) more than us," the Frenchman said. "Couldn't get a stop. We let them get a rhythm. It was a whole new game in the second half really. We just got back to normal."

By the final buzzer, the Spurs had turned that 14-point halftime deficit into a 124-119 victory, extending their win streak to 10 games behind 32 points, nine rebounds and five blocks from Wembanyama. The comeback was as much about Chicago's shooting returning to Earth as it was about San Antonio rediscovering its competitive edge.

"I think we react accordingly," Wembanyama said. "We try to not overreact ... sometimes you've got to get back to what we do and trust the game plan. Teams are always going to shoot below their average, or over it. Over time it will balance."

He continued: "It could happen — a team just plays out of their mind and is amazing one night and beats you. That could happen ... this is how you win, by respecting these things."

The Bulls eventually finished shooting 57.9 percent from the field and 51.7 percent from 3-point range. Those numbers would ordinarily be enough to secure a victory. Instead, the Spurs found ways to win without needing their opponent to miss every shot.

Dylan Harper noticed something missing from San Antonio's approach in the first half.

"We weren't really into the game," Harper said. "Everyone was quiet. Everyone was trying to do their own things. We were all to ourselves. I feel like the second half, it was do or die."

Harper finished with 18 points, six rebounds and a team-high 10 assists, helping the Spurs generate a more connected offensive attack after halftime. San Antonio recorded 13 assists in the opening half, then added 19 more in the second to finish with 32 on 49 made field goals.

"Just moving the ball, I feel like, was the biggest thing," Harper said. "In the second half, it was more of, how can we get our teammates involved? How can we just be the best versions of ourselves? When we're passing the ball like that, we're pretty unstoppable."

The difference was evident elsewhere. San Antonio outscored Chicago 68-49 after halftime, including a 38-22 advantage in the paint. The Spurs also generated 14 second-chance points to the Bulls' two and outscored Chicago 16-2 in transition during the second half.

Wembanyama scored 17 of his 32 points after the break, finishing 13-for-18 from the field. His plus-29 was the highest mark of anyone on the floor. De'Aaron Fox, meanwhile, scored all 17 of his points before halftime, but finished with nine assists, just behind Harper.

"They responded," Johnson explained. "They responded and played with the appropriate level of discipline, execution, physicality (and) competitiveness. And that's what they're capable of. We just obviously need to do that more consistently."

For Johnson, the concern wasn't that the Bulls had made difficult shots. That happens in the NBA, he admitted. It was that his team had allowed Chicago to find an easy rhythm.

The Spurs ultimately escaped United Center victorious, but their first-half performance offered a reminder of the consistency Johnson has been seeking throughout the early season. It took a 22-point deficit to bring out the urgency San Antonio needed from the jump.

Wembanyama suggested the lesson was less about what the Spurs said to one another and more about whether they were willing to follow through. But he remained rather vague when asked about the demeanor of a locker room facing a 14-point halftime deficit.

"Focused," Wembanyama said, describing the mood. "Not worried, but appropriately concerned. At some point, depending on where you are in the progression of a team (over) the course of a season, sometimes there's a moment like today where you just got to do it."

For a team hoping to build on last season's run to the NBA Finals, the distinction matters. But without patting itself too hard on the back, San Antonio can enjoy a quiet flight home.