The Warriors improved to 4-0 on their current five-game road trip after defeating the Bulls 119-112 in Chicago on Wednesday night. Klay Thompson was sensational, scoring a season-high 38 points on 12-of-22 shooting, including seven three-pointers. The other Splash Brother wasn’t too shabby either, as Stephen Curry added 30 points, nine rebounds and six treys of his own, while Kevin Durant recorded 19 points and seven assists. With the victory, Golden State improves to 37-9 on the season.
TEAM LEADERS
PAINFUL START
The Warriors were smiling at the end of Wednesday’s game, but it got off to an uneasy start. While the Dubs knew they would be without both Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, who missed the game due to injury, they likely did not anticipate that Green’s replacement in the starting lineup would get hurt within the opening minute of action.
Jordan Bell started at power forward, but landed awkwardly after trying to block Robin Lopez’ game-opening dunk and sat out the remainder of the contest with a sprained left ankle. Further shorthanded, the Warriors carried forward with the ‘next man up’ mentality, and Kevon Looney redeemed Steve Kerr’s decision to insert him into the game. Although he only scored two points, Looney would go on to finish a game-best plus-33 in 30 minutes of play.
SPLASHIN' AWAY
With multiple players out of the lineup, the Warriors were depending on their stars to carry the offensive load, and the Splash Brothers did exactly that. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry had it going from the opening tip, as the two combined for 17 points in the first seven minutes and 35 points in the first half, with each making three of their five three-point attempts through the opening two quarters. Then, in the third quarter, the Splash Brothers took over. Thompson and Curry would combine to score 20 of Golden State’s 32 points in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulls by themselves in that frame.
Thompson would finish the game with a season-high 38 points, including a season-high-tying seven three-pointers in the victory, while Curry added 30 and six, respectively. It was the first time both Splash Brothers made at least six three-pointers in the same game since March 20 of last year, and the 11th time in their careers that they both scored at least 30 points in the same game.
THIRD QUARTER SURGE
The Dubs entered the half trailing the Bulls 66-63, but the Dubs would flip the game on its head in the third quarter. Golden State would eventually turn a three-point halftime deficit into a 17-point advantage going into the final frame, as the Splash Brothers provided the offense, while the Warriors collectively shut the Bulls down on the defensive end. They’d outscore Chicago 32-12 in the third quarter, including a 19-0 run, and limit the Bulls to just six points in the first nine minutes of the second half. In total, Golden State held the Bulls to 6-of-25 (.240) shooting from the field in the third quarter.
RECORD-TYING WIN
With the win in Chicago, the Warriors improved to 4-0 on their current road trip and stretched their road winning streak to 14 games, which ties the longest road winning streak in franchise history set back in the beginning of the 2015-16 season. Additionally, the 14-straight road wins are tied for the third-longest road win streak in NBA history (1996-97 Heat and 2015-16 Warriors).
UP NEXT
The Warriors will attempt to break that franchise record when they close out their road trip in Houston against the Rockets on Saturday.