CHICAGO -- Jimmy Butler knew this game was coming.

He knew there would be a point in the season when he would struggle with his shot and his teammates would have to lift him up. So with Kawhi Leonard locking him up and forcing him out of his comfort zone, Butler leaned on the rest of the roster the way the Chicago Bulls usually lean on Butler. The end result was a much-needed 95-91 win over the San Antonio Spurs and a confidence jolt to a beleaguered roster.

"I know we got some hellafied players," Butler said. "Some great teammates. Everybody's like, 'Yo, take your shot. Do what you've been doing all year.' It won't change. They're going to fall -- I think we all know that. But that's what you got teammates for, to step up and make shots, take the big ones, knock them down ... we've got good players, man. If we guard, offense is easy."

Offense was not easy for Butler against the Spurs. He was 0-for-5 from the field in the first half, finishing with just 13 points for the game. But the key for Butler and the Bulls was that his team played one of its best defensive games of the season, staying in front of a Spurs team that came into the night undefeated (13-0) on the road.

The Bulls were more forceful in their effort throughout the game than they had been in their last three losses. They played like a team that had something to prove instead of a team that was just going through the motions during a long NBA season. All five starters registered in double figures, while the Bulls' much-maligned bench showed signs of life with the return of Doug McDermott.

Jimmy Butler was hounded by Kawhi Leonard all night, but his teammates picked him up. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

"We talked about getting into it a little bit more," Bulls guard Dwyane Wade said. "Everyone being a little bit more understanding of what we're trying to do. We felt in the Detroit game they get a few buckets early, because we didn't dive into what we needed to do on the game plan and the scouting report. Today, that was a big focus of ours, and we came out and we executed our game plan. If we can execute our game plan, we give ourselves a chance."

The Bulls will take wins however they can get them with the way they've been playing, but Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg has to be thrilled that his team beat one of the league's elite franchises on a night when Butler couldn't get it going from the field. Rajon Rondo was an assist away from another triple-double, and Wade racked up 20 points of his own.

But it was the bench that should allow Hoiberg to sleep easier early Friday morning. Nikola Mirotic, Cristiano Felicio and McDermott combined for 26 points and 17 rebounds, which is light years more production than the group has given over the last few weeks. McDermott's presence stabilized, at least for the night, the biggest flaw on the Bulls' roster.

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"Our coaching staff today kind of called out our bench," McDermott said. "Like, 'We got to have you tonight, bench.' And I think we really took that to heart, and I think we were all really locked in at shootaround and coming to the game tonight."

Several players noted the focus of the group was better heading into Thursday's game. They weren't pleased with the way they had been playing and wanted to do something to change it. But the big question for the Bulls remains the same as its been for the better part of two years. Why does this group continue to beat upper-echelon teams and struggle against some of the worst in the game?

"Well, we talked about that," Hoiberg said. "We talked about it after the game. We also talked about it after the Cleveland game, so that's, I guess, the scary thing.

"If we go out with that type of defensive focus and that type of defensive mentality we're going to have a chance to win a lot of games. But it's got to be consistent, and that's the big message for our guys, is the effort has to be there on a nightly basis."

Whether it will be there or not on Saturday night against the Miami Heat remains to be seen, but the fact that they found a way to win without a huge performance from Butler is a positive revelation for a team in need of one. Butler can only carry the Bulls so far on so many nights. On Thursday, he finally got some help from up and down the roster.