Despite Steph Curry’s foul troubles on Friday night, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Chicago Bulls 119-111. It is still early in the season for Golden State to break out of its road woes, but at the Chase Center, it is now 10-1.
Curry and Andrew Wiggins picked up early fouls in the first quarter, upending the Warriors’ rotation. As head coach Steve Kerr noted in his postgame press conference, “it never felt like we were in control or playing with a purpose.” In addition to fouling, the Warriors committed several turnovers.
Even though Golden State struggled in the first quarter, Jordan Poole helped the team to a 35-33 lead at halftime. In the first quarter, the sixth man connected on four of his five three-point attempts, scoring 14 points and dishing out two assists.
While the Warriors continued to look lackadaisical throughout the remainder of the game, the Bulls never led after halftime. Bulls fans have given up on this season after failing to get a lead against a team that committed 19 turnovers and eight traveling violations.
Poole led the Warriors in scoring 30 points on 11-for-18 shooting (7-for-13 from three), but Draymond Green was Golden State’s star of the night. He finished a rebound shy of a triple-double with 13 points, nine boards, ten assists, a pair of blocks, and a game-high +20 plus/minus. Green is doing everything he can early in the season to earn a max contract extension.
The Warrior’s offense found a rhythm with Klay Thompson’s excellent play inside the arc and 3-for-13 shooting from three. In addition to scoring 26 points, Thompson grabbed five rebounds and dished out six assists. In addition to 19 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and six turnovers, Curry grabbed 11 rebounds.
