The Golden State Warriors humiliated on Friday night as visitors to the Chicago Bulls (96-138), Eastern Conference leaders and whom they have beaten the last 10 times they have met. The Bulls had just lost a resounding loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday (112-138) while the Warriors, in second place in the Western Conference table, faced the game in Chicago after having lost four of their last five games. The last of those losses had been a very painful one against the Milwaukee Bucks (118-99), in which they went down 39 points, so the Warriors reacted today to that setback in the best possible way.
They led the Warriors in victory Andrew Wiggins, with 21 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists; and Congolese rookie Jonathan Kuminga, who came off the bench with 25 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 3 blocks. For the Bulls, Montenegro center Nikola Vucevic stood out, with a double-double of 19 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks; and Coby White with 20 points, a rebound, an assist and a steal.
The worst news for those in Chicago was the Zach LaVine injury, one of its main pillars and who went to the locker room with knee pain when 4 minutes had passed in the first quarter.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr released Klay Thompson on Friday. Thompson had played three games after two and a half years away from the courts due to injury and is still in the process of acclimatizing to the competition.
Clear dominance of the Warriors
The first half began with an exchange of triples and quick plays. Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole hit 2 of 2 triples while Stephen Curry had only tried one without success (15-16 with 7.34 to go). The Bulls’ Lonzo Ball was especially inspired from the perimeter and hit four 3-pointers in that first quarter. An impressive feint and additional kill by Wiggins (with 12 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists), answered by another kill by Alfonzo McKinnie, continued a fairly even pulse but at the end of the first quarter he opted for the Warriors (28-37).
Two minutes into the second half, Curry got his first triple of the game and the biggest lead for his team so far (33-48). A mischievous steal with a field-to-field run that Andre Iguodala converted into a basket further increased the Warriors’ difference (33-51). The Warriors, with a field goal percentage of 58% percent and 41 points in that quarter, continued to increase their dominance over the Bulls, with 45% and 19 points, to conclude the first half of the game with an outrageous difference (47-78).
No reaction from the Bulls
In the first minutes of the second half, the Warriors, who did not neglect their defense, extended their control on the scoreboard (47-84 with 8:49 on the clock). Two spectacular and consecutive dunks by Kevon Looney delved into the Bulls’ wound and one more triple by Curry put the score at 61-97 just minutes before the end of the third quarter. Several baskets, a mate among them, by the Congolese Jonathan Kuminga left him in 72-112 at the end of the penultimate quarter without reaction from the Bulls.
With 47 rebounds for the Warriors and 36 for the Bulls, the game ended with an unquestionable victory for the visitors (96-138).