In the wake of finishing a 23-point rebound triumph over the Clippers on Thursday, the Warriors profit home to take for the Bulls on Friday in their second diversion in the same number of evenings. The principal of two matchups between the two groups this season falls on Authentic Fan Friday, and all fans in participation will get an Andrew Bogut cheer card obligingness of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. Likewise, the initial 10,000 fans in participation will get a Replica Championship Trophy, kindness of Mountain Dew. Tipoff is planned for 7:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors shut the final quarter on a 22-5 run and returned the distance from a 23-direct shortage toward gain a 124-117 street win over the Clippers on Thursday night. Stephen Curry scored 40 focuses, his fourth 40-point exertion of the season, while figuring out how to pull in a season-high 11 bounce back. Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes contributed 25 and 21 focuses, individually, while Draymond Green included 18 focuses and nine bounce back. With the triumph, the Warriors moved to 13-0 and turned out to be only the fifth group in NBA history to start a season with a 13-0 record.
TURNING DOWN THE TURNOVERS
The Warriors are coming off a tremendous comeback victory on the road, but the reasons they found themselves in that big of a whole in the first place are twofold. First, the Clippers were absolutely shooting the lights out. Second, the Warriors were being careless with the ball. Los Angeles converted 10 Warriors’ turnovers into 16 points in the first half alone, and the only reason they were able to manage a comeback – aside from some staunch defense – was their increased attentiveness to and valuing of each possession in the latter part of the game. After 19 more turnovers last night, the Warriors are now averaging 15.8 giveaways per game, which ranks eighth-worst in the NBA. If Golden State wants to stand a chance at extending their season-opening win streak to 14 games, particularly on the back end of a back-to-back, they’ll need to take better care of the ball throughout the entire game, and not just when they’re in a hole.
CHICAGO SCOUTING REPORT
Winners of four-straight games, the Bulls come into Friday’s showdown playing their best basketball of the young season. At 8-3, they currently sit second in the Eastern Conference standings, and with a deep and talented squad, they’re expected to be one of the top teams in their conference when all is said and done. Jimmy Butler has built upon his breakout season of a year ago and leads the team with an average of 20.8 points per game, good for 20th in the NBA. He’s joined in the backcourt by former MVP Derrick Rose, although the dynamic guard has recently been sidelined with a sprained ankle. The quartet of Joakim Noah, Nikola Mirotic, Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson affords first-year head coach Fred Hoiberg several different looks in his front court, while Doug McDermott has been a nice contributor off the bench. The Bulls have the fifth-best defensive rating in the league and sit atop the NBA in opponent’s field goal percentage (40.8%), so offense will be hard to come by in this battle of conference powers. The Bulls were the last team to beat the Warriors in a regular season game at Oracle Arena, a 113-111 overtime victory on January 27, so perhaps that will give Golden State the extra motivation they need in order to stretch their season-opening win streak to 14 games.