An open bar at a wedding is always dangerous.

The young love in the air leads to plenty of positive vibes and plenty of toasts. One glass of champagne is followed by a signature cocktail, which is chased with some table-side wine, which is followed by trying the other signature cocktail. Before you know it, you're halfway through the festivities and need to make a decision: Head back to the bar or grab a glass of water.

The Chicago Bulls went back to the bar on Wednesday night.

What was an electric and fun first two quarters for the Bulls turned into a sloppy night to forget. They were truly the life of the party in the first half, shooting a ridiculous 65.9 percent from the field and building a 70-56 advantage on the reigning Western Conference champs. Coming out of the locker room, however, they started to stumble over their own feet and embarrassingly forked over the game.

They would go on to turn the ball over 12 times in the final 24 minutes, giving the Spurs an easy 16 points off those mistakes. Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey were the main culprits, committing a combined nine turnovers in the half.

“What did I want to see from them in the second half? Not that," Tiago Splitter said after the game. "Not turning over the ball, be aggressive, take the right shots. We were finding Jalen Smith in the first half, he was open on the court for us, taking Wembanyama out of the paint. But when you turn the ball over, you don’t have a chance to do that …”

The Bulls were outscored 34-19 in the quarter, as the Spurs went on to erase a 22-point deficit and secure the 124-119 win. And do not let the final score fool you. The Spurs were in full control down the stretch, leading Splitter to empty his bench for some garbage-time buckets.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, it isn't the first time they went a little too hard in the first half. Third quarters have been a consistent problem all season long, as has putting together a full 48 minutes of compontent play. It's not necessarily an uncommon issue for a young team, especially against the level of competition the Bulls have faced early on this year.

At the same time, the Bulls need to learn to pace themselves, and Matas Buzelis knows it.

Matas Buzelis Points Finger at Himself ...

If the second half was the drunken ride home, Matas Buzelis' conversation with the media was the morning hangover.

The Chicago Bulls' third-year forward was noticeably frustrated after the team's ninth loss in ten games. He also wasted no time pointing a finger at himself, going as far as to say that the second-half crumble was his doing.

“Mainly me," Buzelis said of the Bulls' troubles. "That’s unacceptable. That was our game to win. I thought I lost that game for us.”

In Buzelis' defense, it takes far more than one player to let a 22-point lead slip away. The team as a whole allowed the Spurs' ball pressure and physicality to halt their momentum. Nevertheless, Buzelis has continuously held himself to a high standard, and the Bulls undoubtedly needed him to look more in control down the stretch. This is particularly true after Caleb Wilson was forced to exit the game with an injury.

Matas Buzelis was noticeably frustrated after the Bulls dropped to 1-9. Pointed a finger at himself and said he has to be more aggressive, specifically coming out of halftime.

Bulls were in full control in the first half but just couldn’t sustain the energy. pic.twitter.com/n9TkAHRnpS

— Elias Schuster (@Schuster_Elias) November 12, 2026

Indeed, Buzelis walked into halftime with a solid 13 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds on 5-7 shooting from the field. What happened the rest of the night? The 22-year-old failed to score a single additional point, committed five more turnovers, and finished a -25.

“I got to be aggressive and fight," Buzelis said. "I fought really hard, all of us fought really hard, and it’s a 48-minute game. We have to realize that the first 5 minutes of the third quarter is the most important part of any game, even if you’re down 20 or up 20, it doesn’t matter.”

It's no secret that Buzelis has struggled to find his rhythm to start the year. His production is down in almost every statistical category, as he simply hasn't looked comfortable alongside the Bulls' new-look roster. To be sure, it's still very early in the season. Every young player deserves time to adjust. But it's still on Buzelis to prove that he can be a key piece in what Splitter is trying to build.

For what it's worth, the forward did insist that the problem isn't his fit in Splitter's system but rather learning how to sustain a quality level of play.

“I feel like I’m in the right position to be very aggressive and do what I do," Buzelis said. "And you saw that in the first half, but it has to carry over to the full game. That’s just how to be a pro. And I’m going to be better at that.”

Actions speak louder than words, and Buzelis knows that. It's likely why he didn't have much else to say after the Bulls' latest crumble. Sure, the schedule is going to ease up in the coming weeks, but the only true way for this group to turn things around is if Buzelis plays a strong part in that process.

Until then, all Splitter can do is keep feeding this team saltines and water in hopes that the next night out doesn't get so out of hand.