Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) loses the ball to Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Three Point shooting was key for the Warriors in their 123-92 victory over the Bulls.
By Cole Reece| February 9th
Javale McGee had the hot hand for the Warriors in the first quarter. The big man dropped 8 points for the Dubs, 6 of those points came in the first 4 minutes. Chicago matched the Warriors offensive prowess with some great stops defensively. Curry and company adjusted beautifully as they shifted their focus to the paint. They scored 16 points in the paint in the opening frame. Golden State slowed down the Bulls who had difficulty scoring without Jimmy Butler and Dwayne Wade. The Dubs held a 30-17 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. Durant shook off his scoring woes and drained 7 points for Golden State. The Bulls got their first three-pointer with 9:22 left in the 2nd quarter. They are the worst three-point shooting team for a reason, and it showed. Kerr’s Warriors hit a lull to start the 2nd quarter as they failed to score for nearly 5 minutes. Draymond Green put the onus on his shoulders and drained back to back triples. Green scored 10 points in the 2nd quarter as he and KD led the dubs to a (55-41) halftime advantage. Taj Gibson was the only offensive threat Chicago could muster in the 1st half. Gibson contributed 9 points mostly on 2nd chance dunks.
Javale McGee and Klay Thompson led the charge in the 3rd quarter. Javale attacked the rim and punished the Bulls with his size. The Warriors Center took a nasty fall after getting table topped by Robin Lopez. Fortunately, the big man was okay and sat out the rest of the contest. Chicago stayed in the game thanks to 2nd chance points and the great play of Robin Lopez. Lopez used his size to beat the Warriors in the interior. Steph Curry had a quiet night with 13 points but his teammates were sensational. Durant scored from all over the floor to go along with great defense. Draymond Green nailed three-pointer after three-pointer with surgical precision. The Dubs best player on the night was Klay Thompson. Headed into the final quarter, the Warriors led the Bulls (86-70). Klay scored 13 of his 28 points in the final quarter to put Chicago away. Golden State earned a 123-92 victory over the Bulls who were no match for Golden State without Butler and Wade. This game was decided from beyond the arc. The Warriors went 15/28 from distance while the Bulls went just 4/24. Up next a trip to Memphis where the Warriors look to embarrass the Grizzlies.
Stars of the Night: Klay Thompson 28 points 10-18 shooting 6-9 on threes. Durant 22 points 7 assists and 10 rebounds. Green 19 points 8 rebounds 5-6 on threes.