Lazy, sloppy and unfocused.
In the midst of a 17-0 Chicago Bulls run that took place in the second quarter, the three adjectives you see above characterized a Golden State Warriors team that looked as if it had taken the bait in an obvious “trap game.”
While the Warriors have lost their share of clunkers this season, a 17-0 run of their own in the third quarter propelled Golden State to a hard-fought comeback and a 119-112 win.
With double-digit losses to the Nuggets, Hornets and Clippers on their resume from the last month, the Warriors appeared destined to fall to a team of lesser talent, but a squad that was hungry to offer up their best shot against the champs. Unlike those aforementioned defeats, though, Steve Kerr’s team had Steph Curry on the floor in this one, and Curry wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
Led by the combination of Curry and his fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson, Golden State raced back from a double-digit second quarter deficit to open up a 19-point lead late in the third quarter. Though no other Warriors’ player made a three-pointer prior to the start of the fourth quarter, Curry and Thompson combined to drill 12 including three apiece in the third to push Golden State out in front.
Curry and Thompson combined for 68 points on Wednesday, as Thompson went for a season-high 36 points and scored at least eight points in all four quarters across a balanced effort.
The comeback effort was made more impressive by the fact the Warriors were without the services of Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, who were both ruled out with injuries, while rookie power forward Jordan Bell lasted just one possession due to an ankle injury.
Bell –who often draws comparisons to Green with the way he impacts games– was injured on the first play of the contest when he landed awkwardly following a Robin Lopez dunk. After receiving medical attention underneath the hoop, Bell exited the floor on a wheelchair and then received X-Rays. Results came back negative, but the Warriors announced Bell will undergo an MRI on Thursday.
Though the absence of three of the team’s best passers and defenders threatened to impact Golden State during Chicago’s extended second quarter run, the play of Curry and Thompson was too overwhelming for a Bulls team that entered Wednesday having won 14 of its past 21 contests. The victory in the Windy City extended Golden State’s road win streak to a franchise-record 14 games, and gives the team an opportunity to shoot for the NBA record (16) if it can take care of business in Houston on Saturday night.
The longevity of Golden State’s success on the road is clearly impressive, but particularly when considering the four teams the Warriors have played on their current trip. After defeating Milwaukee to start their travels, the Warriors took down Toronto, a team that had lost just twice at home this season, and Cleveland, the defending Eastern Conference champions. It’s now been nearly two months since Kerr’s team lost a road contest, and by the time the Warriors travel to Utah at the end of the month, Golden State could be in the midst of a near-70-day stretch without suffering a defeat away from Oracle Arena.