Stephen Curry led the way with 21 points, Quinten Post and Gui Santos recorded career highs off the bench and the Golden State Warriors endured a 64-point explosion in the first half by the visiting Chicago Bulls for a 131-106 victory Thursday night in San Francisco.
Playing the second night of a back-to-back against a team that had enjoyed the previous two days off, Golden State used superior depth to win the battle of the benches 83-41 en route to snapping a two-game losing streak.
Post, in just his sixth NBA game, led the Warriors’ bench assault with 20 points, 11 more than he had scored in any previous game. He did most of his scoring from beyond the arc, going 5-for-10.
Santos likewise buried five from deep, needing only six tries, en route to 19 points. The Brazilian Olympian had improved his career-best to 16 in Golden State’s loss Wednesday at Sacramento.
Moses Moody nailed four 3-pointers to account for a majority of his 16 points, helping the Warriors outscore the Bulls 75-48 from deep by making 25 of 57.
Andrew Wiggins finished with 17 points, Dennis Schroder 11 to go with seven assists and Brandin Podziemski 10 points. Kevon Looney chipped in with four points to complement a team-high 11 rebounds and five assists.
Zach LaVine tallied a game-high 24 points for the Bulls, who completed a 1-2 Western swing and lost for the sixth time in their last seven games.
Josh Giddey backed LaVine with 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who totaled just 42 points in the final 24 minutes after their 64-point first half.
Ayo Dosunmu added 13 points off the bench, while Nikola Vucevic accumulated nine points, six rebounds, four assists and four blocks.
After watching the visitors scorch the net to the tune of 13-for-18 on 3-pointers in the first half, the Warriors held the Bulls to 16 third-quarter points and no 3s while taking a 94-80 lead.
Gary Payton II, Curry, Moses Moody, Wiggins and Post contributed 3-pointers to a 21-6, period-ending run after the Bulls had led 74-73 just before the quarter’s midpoint.
When Post added two more 3-pointers and Moody and Dennis Schroder hit one apiece in the opening 3:40 of the fourth quarter, the lead ballooned to 108-85 and Golden State was able to coast home.
-Field Level Media
