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Well, the Warriors didn't take that loss to the Pistons on Saturday lightly.
Two days after the Golden State Warriors blew out the Cavaliers in Cleveland by 34 points, the Warriors destroyed the Chicago Bulls by 31 points, through balanced output from starters and reserves alike.
The game almost took a turn for the worse when Draymond Green was struck in the head by Taj Gibson in the 3rd quarter. Despite the play continuing, Draymond stayed on the floor, clutching his forehead, until the Warriors called timout. Though he went to the locker room, he returned to the bench in the 4th quarter and even went back into the game for a few minutes to close out the game. Instead of a possible concussion, it may have been a simple contact lenses issue.
In a game full of memorable highlights, Stephen Curry led the Dubs with 25 points, 11 assists, and 7 boards (and a +36 in 33 minutes!). Klay Thompson chipped in 20 points, and Andrew Bogut grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds, including six offensive boards, in one of his best games of the season. Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa feasted on the Bull's guards, with 12 points off the bench each. Andre Iguodala had a couple of nasty dunks, and Harrison Barnes quietly scored 19 points.
Despite the recent losses to the Nuggets and Pistons, this Warriors team has shown the world that, at full strength, it may be unstoppable. The game against the Spurs next Monday couldn't come soon enough.
The Takes
Draymond Green's fast break passing is such a weapon for something nobody saw coming before last season
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) January 21, 2016
Ezeli now in, after Bogut had one of his best stints this season
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) January 21, 2016
Draymond Green knocked in head... Tried to sit on bench, now heads to lockerroom.
— Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) January 21, 2016
Draymond Green back on bench w ice pack. Official: hit in "face orbital area".
— Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (@ROSGO21) January 21, 2016
The Clips
STEPH SHOW https://t.co/Solmfu8R3u
— Rob Perezingis (@World_Wide_Wob) January 21, 2016
Not much u can do to stop this. https://t.co/ojXNT6mrsA
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) January 21, 2016
Iggy! But Bulls need to get more organized in transition. Sheesh. https://t.co/m4UJrgHr2F
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) January 21, 2016
Don't see this often https://t.co/H9O5wNslhM
— TrueHoop TV (@TrueHoopTV) January 21, 2016
Closing Thoughts
- Bogut was a beast tonight. His offensive boards and post defense sparked the Dub's initial 1st quarter run.
- Derrick Rose played like his old MVP form tonight on national TV, but I don't think anybody on the Warriors was too concerned. With Rose only logging two assists, it seemed his scoring didn't really jumpstart the Bulls offense to anything particularly frightening.
- Bobby Portis looks real good. But with Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson, and Nikola Mirotic in the frontcourt, there doesn't seem to be consistent minutes for him. #FreePortis
- Shaun Livingston might not be able to shoot 3's, but he's one of the best guards in the league at cutting and posting up. We're so lucky to have him.
-
Marreese Speights hit a three-pointer in garbage time.
- The Warriors garnered 38 assists to only 10 turnovers, and limited the Bulls to 37% shooting. They won't lose many games when their passing is on point and their defense is strong.