If you had no hope for the Golden State Warriors to win even one game in their weekend back-to-back, then no one would blame you. They had to face an Eastern Conference favorite in the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road on Saturday, without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler III, Al Horford, or De’Anthony Melton. They had to get back in action less than 24 hours later on the road against a game Chicago Bulls team, with only Butler and Melton returning from the infirmary.
After stunning the Cavs on Saturday, the Dubs one-upped themselves on Sunday, blowing out the Bulls from tip to buzzer, winning 123-91 in a game they never trailed.
It started with a clear statement: there would be offense. Despite winning on Saturday, and despite losing by just one point to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, the Warriors had managed just 22 first-quarter points total in those two games. But they wasted no time making sure everyone knew that Sunday would be different.
Buddy Hield drained a three on the first possession of the game, then Quinten Post sunk a triple on the second possession. Post repeated himself on the next possession, and on the team’s fourth trip down the court, Butler patiently broke down the defense and found Pat Spencer for a layup.
The Dubs had scored on their first four possessions, and Billy Donovan needed a timeout less than two minutes into the game, with the Warriors already leading 11-2. A few minutes later, Butler turned a turnover into a one-on-none transition dunk. And with that, the Warriors had scored 23 points in the first five minutes … one more point than in their last two opening quarters.
And they were just getting started. While the offense wouldn’t always flow that well, the defensive effort negated the need for a perfect offense. A bad offense would have been enough for a victory, and a good offense was enough for a blowout. Even as the team got sloppy to end the first quarter, they still maintained a large lead, and took a 38-25 advantage into the second quarter, with eight threes already banked.
There was no letup to start the second quarter. The Warriors — who had opted for a starting lineup of Spencer, Hield, Post, Butler, and Will Richard — kept the defensive energy in the second, while continuing to make shots. There would, of course, be a Chicago run, as the Bulls used homecourt advantage to find a large dose of energy, while Nikola Vučević and Matas Buzelis started to put on a show. But the Warriors had the answer, with a total team effort. Regardless of the configuration on the court, all five Warriors were playing selflessly and in sync, moving ball and bodies seamlessly, and rotating perfectly on defense and the glass. After that brief scare they locked in defensively, and ended the half with a 60-46 lead. Despite the high scoring output, Post was the only Golden State player who had double figures at the break, a sign of just how balanced the attack was.
When the third quarter began, it looked like a blowout was in the works. The Warriors were outworking and outhustling the Bulls, and quickly pushed the lead up to 18 points, prompting another Donovan timeout. They were making life truly miserable for Chicago’s offense, and the Bulls looked incredibly disjointed. With just a few minutes remaining in the quarter, the Warriors led by 24 points, and the route was on.
The Bulls had one final push in them, and it was a doozy. In seemingly the blink of an eye, Chicago rattled off 14 consecutive points, and suddenly they were right back in the game. Butler meagerly ended the run with a single free throw, giving the Dubs an 87-76 lead entering the fourth.
And then the blowout was on. It was all Warriors, all quarter in the fourth. Butler took over as the Warriors exploded for a 20-2 run, and quickly took a 26-point lead. That was enough for Donovan to waive the white flag, and the teams played no-stakes ball for half a quarter, with Golden State coasting to a 123-91 win.
In all, seven Warriors players scored in double figures, led by Brandin Podziemski, who was utterly sensational off the bench, dropping in 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and two steals, while shooting 7-for-13 from the field and 5-for-9 from deep. Butler and Post each finished with 19 points, with the former adding eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals, and the latter playing one of the best defensive games of his young career. Spencer continued his run of excellence, scoring 12 points with five rebounds, six assists, and a plus/minus of +30 (second on the team behind only Richard’s +36).
But with players returning from injury, Steve Kerr had some difficult decisions to make, and the lone negative storyline to emerge from the game was that Jonathan Kuminga was removed from the rotation. Both he and Seth Curry were healthy DNPs. Had the Warriors lost, that surely would have been a point of contention, but rotation questions should be reserved for games that aren’t won by 32 points.
The Warriors, now back above .500, get some rest and recuperation time, as they don’t play again until Friday, when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves. And they sure can use that break, given how banged up they are. But there’s good news: Steph Curry is expected to return on Friday.