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In a rematch between two bottom-tier teams in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors completed their first season sweep by notching their second win over the Chicago Bulls, 100-98.
Despite the two teams being two of the worst offenses in the league, it was by no means a boring affair. The teams exchanged leads all night long — 11 lead changes, to be exact, with 10 instances of the two teams being tied. These two teams’ records belied the competitive nature of the game, and also their desire to notch a win over each other.
In the end, it was the Warriors who came out on top. Glenn Robinson III came out as the top scorer, finishing with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals. He shot an efficient 8-of-12 from the field, including a 2-of-4 clip from beyond the arc.
Most notably, Robinson was involved in the Warriors’ game-sealing bucket, evoking memories of Andre Iguodala’s role as the alley-oop finisher in the Curry/Draymond pick-and-roll (with D’Angelo Russell occupying Curry’s role as the ball-handler).
The game-winner felt a little old school Warriors. D’Angelo Russell, in the Curry role, drawing a double, slipping it to a diving Draymond, who lofts it over the top to Glenn Robinson, in the Iguodala dunker spot, for the lob and win. (Via @NBCSWarriors) pic.twitter.com/ncUIqNuYH2
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 7, 2019
Robinson was one of four players for the Warriors in double figures. Super-rookie Eric Paschall finished with 13 points on a 5-of-10 clip from the field, and was a plus-14 during his 31 minutes on the floor. He provided a steady source of isolation buckets, showing his prowess from the midrange as well as continuing to power his way inside and scoring in the paint.
Alec Burks finished with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Burks provided scoring off the bench, as well as being the Warriors’ fail-safe when offensive possessions bogged down and were left with no choice but to turn to a shot-creator to gain something out of nothing.
Draymond Green had a vintage defensive performance. Although he scored only 9 points, he more than made up for it by being a thorn on the Bulls’ offense. He garnered 4 steals on the night, including a couple down the stretch that prevented the Bulls from gaining any semblance of offensive rhythm.
Overall, the Warriors shot 53.5 percent from the field, a rare excellent performance, especially against a Bulls defense that was ranked 12th in defensive efficiency (106.7) before the game. The Warriors also managed to draw several fouls, resulting in a 15-of-22 clip from the free-throw line. They also garnered 24 team assists.
The most egregious statistic of the night: 19 turnovers, which is considerably more than their average of 14.7 (ranked 11th in the league) going into the night. Additionally, the Warriors gave up 10 offensive rebounds to the Bulls, which came close to costing them the game if not for the Bulls offense dying a slow and painful death.
The Warriors finished their five-game roadtrip with a 1-4 record, and are now slated to return to Chase Center on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies.