Warriors pound Bulls |
SAN FRANCISCO - At this point in the season, the Chicago Bulls (19-26) are what they are which isn't a very good basketball team. Ironically, they are a better team on the road than at home as they have played .500 ball away from the United Center. That goes to show how bad this team has played at home this season, and had they been able to play close to .500 at the United Center, this team would be in a better spot than they are currently.
Looking to close out their West Coast swing with a win, the Bulls traveled to San Francisco to take on the Golden State Warriors (22-22) at the Chase Center. This team has also taken their lumps this season and is currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture. That can all change with a few wins here and there or a massive deal come the deadline, which the Warriors are planning to make. Despite the Bulls putting forth an impressive first-half effort that saw them leading 64-63 at the break, the second half did them in as their offense went cold while the defense was, you know, that great Bulls defense everyone has grown accustomed to seeing. Not only did the Warriors come out guns blazing in the third to outscore the Bulls 31-16 to break things open, but they responded in the fourth 37-26 for the 68-42 second-half advantage. That is all this team needed to get the job done as the Bulls fell to the Warriors on the road 131-106. These games are extremely frustrating to watch, especially when you look at how both teams played in the first half. One of the things to watch in this game was Nikola Vucevic, who has been rumored to be targeted by the Warriors as a potential deadline piece. Vucevic has quietly been one of the Bulls most consistent players this season. A good game here could serve as a great audition for the Warriors. Instead, he went out and had one of his worst games of the season, finishing with only nine points as the Bulls struggled to score across the board. Struggles or not, Zach Lavine continued to do his thing, even if he didn't have the best game. Sure, this wasn't a 30-point game, which Lavine has been churning out a ton lately, but with 24 points to lead the Bulls, he still put up a solid effort. He was joined by Josh Giddey, who has finally emerged as the point guard this team has been waiting for. Giddey has taken his lumps in terms of scoring, but with 16 points to finish second on the team, he had a good game offensively. The other areas of his game have shown up all season, as he added 11 rebounds for another double-double. Those were the only two starters to record double-figure production for the Bulls, with Ayo Dosunmu and his 13 points off the bench being the final player in total. It's too hard to win games when three of your starters are held to nine points or less and have your second-best scorer, Coby White, missed another game with an ankle injury. Although this may not be the Warriors team of old, they still have plenty of players who can put up points. That all starts with future Hall of Famer Stephen Curry, who connected for five triples to finish with a team-high 21 points. Andrew Wiggins and his 17 points joined him, as he has been a far more consistent player with the Warriors than he was in Minnesota. However, like the Bulls, those were the only two starters to record double figures as the rest of their starting lineup was held to 10 points. Had it not been for the Warriors bench, the Bulls would've run away with things, but this was a game that was decided by the second unit. Not only did the Warriors have five players drop double figures off the bench, but three had at least 16 points, with Quinten Post leading the way with 20. Like Curry, Post connected on five triples in the game as the Warriors knocked down 25 of their 57 attempts. Gui Santos added 19 points and seven boards off the bench, and Moses Moody came away with 16 points. You also had Dennis Schroder with 11 points and seven assists, and Brandin Podziemski chipped in with 11 as the Bulls had no answers for the Warriors' second unit. Despite the loss to move the Bulls further into last place in the Central, they remain the 10th seed in the East and hold a two-game lead for the final play-in spot.
