Daily Bulls

After losing three straight games, the Chicago Bulls got back in the win column with an impressive 132-118 win against the defeating NBA Champions, Golden State Warriors. Nikola Vucevic tied his career-high 43 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals, shooting 18-for-31 from the field and 5-for-10 from three. Vucevic helped Chicago snap an 11-game losing streak against the Warriors dating back to 2017. The last time the Bulls beat the Warriors before today was March 2nd, 2017. With this win, Chicago will become 20-24, and Golden State will fall to 21-22 but are 3.5 games out of the fifth spot in the West.

All Bulls starters scored in double-digits. Zach Lavine added 27 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Alex Caruso got 12 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Ayo Dosunmu returned to his usual self with 12 points and six assists. Patrick Williams scored 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field. Coby White got 15 points and went 6-for-7 from the field.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 26 points, eight made threes. Stephen Curry struggled to shoot 3-for-10 from the field but got 20 points and ten-high ten rebounds. Andrew Wiggins scored 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting. Draymond Green got eight points and seven assists.

Warriors Bench help them get back in the game

After the first quarter, Chicago held a 15-point lead, 35-20, with their biggest lead of the quarter being 17. That was because of turnovers, seven during the first. But the Warriors’ bench provided the spark. Golden State outscored Chicago’s bench 44-28, with the main scorer off the bench being Jordan Poole, who finished the game with 15 points, 5-for-8 from the field. Other significant bench scorers were Anthony Lamb with 14 points and Donte DiVincenzo with nine points. Golden State began the second quarter with a 15-4 run to cut the lead down to five, 39-34.

Once the starters got back, that helped their confidence as a team to finish the first half with a 13-5 run led by Klay Thompson, who had 12 points during the second. Golden State got their first lead of the game with a Curry three, 62-59. The Warriors’ biggest lead became eight, 67-59. But the Bulls four minutes got the lead with a Patrick Williams free throw at the 6:35 minute mark of the third. Golden State never held the lead for the rest of the game.

Vucevic big fourth

After three quarters, the Bulls held a six-point lead, 92-86. Whenever you face Golden State, no lead is safe. Both teams shot the same field goal percentage, 57.1%. But the Bulls, led by Vucevic, shot better from deep, 50%, with the Warriors going 38%, only made five threes. Vucevic scored 16 points during the fourth and made two threes to get their lead back up to double-digits. Curry and Thompson combined to shoot 1-for-5 from three.

Final Thoughts

Always Feed the Big Man

With DeMar DeRozan out, Vucevic became the second option, but tonight, he was the main option scoring 43 points. First-time Vucevic scored 30+ points in a game this season. When DeRozan gets back in the lineup, will Chicago continue to feed Vucevic? The Bulls’ offense becomes awesome to watch when they run the offense through Vucevic. Everybody gets involved, and Zach Lavine gets more catch-and-shoot opportunities. Don’t forget about Vucevic’s defense; he got four steals. If Vucevic gets hot offensive, expect him to play better on the defensive end. That helped the Bulls force 23 Warriors turnovers. Chicago will play one game in the next six days, with a trip to Paris to face Detroit on Thursday.

Warriors turnover problem continues

The two flaws of the Warriors are turnovers and playing on the road. Today against the Bulls, Golden State committed 23 turnovers, leading to 31 points for Chicago. Curry and Green combined for 14 turnovers. Golden State, with this loss, becomes 4-17 on the road. The good news is Klay Thompson has averaged 31.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 5 games to begin 2023.

Up Next

Chicago will travel to Paris to play Detroit on Thursday.

Golden State will face Washington tomorrow.

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