The Golden State Warriors were unable to capitalize on their rout of the Spurs to gain any momentum. Instead, despite making more than 40% of their three-point shots, they were defeated 132-118 by the Chicago Bulls.
The Warriors got off to a sloppy start, committing three turnovers that the Bulls turned into 7 points in the first five minutes of action. Chicago built an early 15-5 lead and was ahead 35-20 at the end of the first quarter.
The Dubs second-unit did an impressive job cutting into the Bulls lead in the following quarter. Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, and Anthony Lamb were all solid off the bench for Golden State and helped the Warriors go on an 11-2 run and an 18-5 run that helped them take a 61-59 lead at the half.
However, the Dubs starters continued to lay an egg in the second half. Steph Curry tried to turn up the aggressiveness late, but incredibly sloppy play (23 turnovers) allowed the Bulls to once again build a double-digit lead. The Warriors were 21-for-51 (41.2%) from three on the night, and yet they lost by 14 points anyway. It’s another loss that will haunt Golden State as the season goes on.
Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 26 points and finished 8-for-15 from behind-the-arc, but 1-for-6 shooting from two-point range, Thompson was unable to take over the game offensively in a manner the Dubs needed.
Draymond Green seemed to show the ill effects of carrying such a heavy workload while hurt. Green finished with a game-worst -25 plus/minus and was far from the best version of himself defensively. He finished with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 6 turnovers, and 4 fouls.
With Green struggling, Bulls center Nikola Vučević had the best game of his career. The two-time All-Star scored 43 points on 31 shots from the field alongside 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
Curry was strangely passive in the first half, and looked out of sync all night. While he finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, he committed 8 turnovers. The Warriors hope that Curry is just working off the rust that comes from his prolonged absence.
The Warriors will face a quick turnaround tomorrow, facing the Wizards in Washington D.C. on Monday night. Opening tip is scheduled for 12:00 PM Pacific.
Source: https://www.goldenstateofmind.com
