Chicago Bulls at Golden State Warriors: Instant analysis of Bulls getting beat down in Oakland
The Chicago Bulls, sans Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade, headed to The Bay to face off with the league-best Golden State Warriors for the first time this season.
Let’s get this thing over with.
Chicago’s starting lineup of Jerian Grant, Michael Carter-Williams, Paul Zipser, Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez performed as you would imagine offensively out the gate: not well. They would fall behind 30-17 after the first quarter, and would fail to get back within reach.
The Bulls’ starters shot 28.7 percent from the floor, a putrid number by any measure. On the flip side, the Warriors got to the bucket with ease. The Bulls, specifically Carter-Williams and Grant in particular, had issues with turnovers early, allowing Golden State to get out in transition and find open shots for shooters.
They isolated Kevin Durant, who was guarded by Zipser for the majority of their time on the floor. Zipser would leave with an ankle injury early without returning.
Fred Hoiberg had to dig deeper down the bench with Wade, Butler and Zipser out, meaning Isaiah Canaan found the floor for the second time in over 10 games.
The Bulls struggled from deep yet again. They made only four of their 23 attempts, two of which were Nikola Mirotic‘s. The Warriors fared much better from beyond the arc, hitting 15 triples in the game, which accounts for the point differential by itself.
For what it’s worth, Chicago stayed competitive in the second and third quarters. Again, they missed all but one of their 3-pointers in this stretch, but got to the restricted area for some easy scores.
One area that the Bulls usurped the Dubs was at the free throw line, taking 19 attempts and sinking 14. Jerian Grant, after turning the ball over a couple times early, maintained his aggressiveness and made all five of his freebies.
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The game was blown wide open in the fourth, led by Klay Thompson’s 11 points in the period. The Bulls struggled to defend the Warriors ball movement on offense, often failing to rotate. The margin of error in stopping Golden State’s offense is at most slim, and Chicago isn’t a stalwart.
None of the Bulls played exceptionally, but per usual, Taj Gibson contributed what he could, scoring an efficient 15 points with nine rebounds. Rajon Rondo scored 12 points and dished out eight empty assists. Young guns like Grant and Felicio showed flashes of competency, but in limited minutes, wasn’t quite enough to keep Chicago competitive.
Carter-Williams, Doug McDermott, Denzel Valentine and pretty much everyone else struggled all night.
This wasn’t a fun game to watch. I’m sorry. Here are some highlights to make up for it.
TAJ ⬆️ pic.twitter.com/wKXhOTbeui
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 9, 2017
It's nice to have Mr. Felicio back: pic.twitter.com/bWs4BxtJNd
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 9, 2017
Congrats to anyone that survived all 48 minutes. We respect you.
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