Bulls-Spurs Preview

In his return to the court, Manu Ginobili helped the San Antonio Spurs to a win, and Tony Parker plans on pitching in soon.

When Vinny Del Negro returns to San Antonio, he's hoping to produce the opposite result for the Spurs.

Del Negro will make his first appearance as a head coach in the city where he spent the prime of his playing career when his Chicago Bulls continue their seven-game road trip on Wednesday night.

Ginobili made his first appearance following offseason ankle surgery on Monday night, and after missing 12 games, he scored 12 points in less than 12 minutes in the Spurs' 94-81 win at Memphis.

"I felt pretty good about it," Ginobili said. "I didn't rush it a lot. I took my time, found the open seam, made a couple of shots. I wasn't thinking about a great game on my first one, so I'm happy with what I did."

The Spurs' leading scorer with 19.5 points per game last season, Ginobili is still working his way back into game shape, but he should help a San Antonio team that has been offensively challenged, averaging 92.8 points this season.

"It's a tremendous boost," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. "He played well. I think psychologically more than anything, having him on the floor and seeing him move around is going to be great for the team. I know it's great for me personally because it is good to start seeing our team getting back to full strength."

Parker has missed eight games, also with an ankle injury, but San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said he could return in less than two weeks.

The Spurs (7-6) have managed to stay afloat without their stars, winning six of eight games without Parker. They've tightened their defense over that span, holding opponents to an average of 84.3 points. The Grizzlies shot just 39.0 percent from the field on Monday.

Chicago (7-8) will hope to do better, having topped 100 points in three straight games while shooting over 50 percent in two of them.

The Bulls have also allowed 100 or more points in each of the first five games of their trip, but they've won two of their last three, including a 101-100 victory Monday against a Utah team that had been unbeaten at home this season after going 37-4 in Salt Lake City in 2007-08.

Rookie Derrick Rose had 25 points and nine assists for the Bulls, and though his attempt at a game-winning shot clanged off the rim, it bounced to Larry Hughes, who hit a buzzer-beater for the victory.

"Derrick was penetrating, making plays for himself and finding people, so I just wanted to get the ball in his hands," Del Negro said. "He's only going to get better as the season goes along."

Del Negro played six seasons in San Antonio from 1992-98 and was Duncan's teammate during the No. 1 overall pick's rookie season in 1997-98. He averaged a career-high 14.5 points in 1995-96, when he started all 82 games.

Now a rookie coach, Del Negro started for the Spurs against the Bulls on March 14, 1998, when Chicago earned a 96-86 road win behind 30 points from Michael Jordan.

But since then, the Bulls are 3-16 against the Spurs, including 1-8 in San Antonio. Chicago averaged 79.5 points against San Antonio while losing both meetings last season.