After a testy matchup against the young Chicago Bulls, the Golden State Warriors learned plenty from their road venture into the United Center, bringing in some good news to their fans, along with some somber ones, all in a tune-up for a third matchup against the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
Here are five takeaways from last night's Warriors-Bulls game.
5. Jordan Bell's scary injury and what it means for the team's depth
Wednesday night's game was set up to be another huge opportunity for the rookie out of Oregon, getting a second start against the team that sold his rights to the Warriors for $3.5 million during last year's NBA Draft.
That fantasy lasted only 24 seconds, as the big man was injured after challenging a Robin Lopez shot in the air, landing uncomfortably and clearly in pain, as head coach Steve Kerr was forced to call a timeout immediately, seeing his young asset leave the court in a wheelchair.
Bell's X-rays revealed only a sprained left ankle, though the severity will be assessed with a MRI scan at some point today.
It's safe to say that he will miss at least the rest of the week, with Saturday's game against the Rockets being too soon for a call back into action. In his absence, Kevon Looney; who is in a contract year, should look to excel with more minutes and even opportunities to start if Draymond Green is still in the shelf for Saturday's Western Conference tilt.
4. Stephen Curry's questionable decisions
Curry had plenty of great moments, finishing the night shooting 10-of-18 from the floor and 6-of-11 from deep. But just as he had the light bulb going, he also had his share of reckless moments.
Besides the first-quarter gaffe in which he threw the ball off David Nwaba's back with 0.1 seconds left in the clock, the Bulls guard/forward got his revenge in the fourth, as Curry threw a pass right in his coverage zone and took it home for a dunk. Curry did it once again with 28 seconds left in the game, as Nwaba came away with the loose ball. If Lauri Markkanen would have buried the three, it would have been a two-point game and put the Bulls in real striking distance.
The former two-time MVP had six turnovers in the game to only four assists, though it was largely overshadowed by his shooting prowess in a 30-point night, his fourth of this month alone.
3. Take your run and I'll raise you another
The Bulls threatened with a 12-0 run to close out the first quarter, taking the lead after countless mistakes by the Warriors starters — but even after trailing by three at the half, Golden State didn't panic and collected themselves, preparing for their usual furious comeback in the third quarter.
The Warriors limited the Bulls to only six points to start the quarter and held them scoreless for the next 6:53, to build a massive 19-0 run and retake the lead, posting a 32-12 score in the third and strutting into the final period with a comfortable advantage.
2. The Splash Brothers catch fire in the same game
Klay Thompson defeated what had been a horrendous track record at the United Center, shooting a horrid 8-of-35 from beyond the arc (22.9 percent) as pointed out by Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Klay Thompson career at the Bulls:
– Jan. 25, 2013 = 13 points, 0 for 4 3s
– Feb. 26, 2014 = 8 points, 2 for 4 3s
– Dec. 6, 2014 = 24 points, 2 for 8 3s
– Jan. 20, 2016 = 20 points, 3 for 8 3s
– March 2, 2017 = 13 points, 1 for 11 3s— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) January 17, 2018
His game-high 38 points were accompanied by a blistering 12-of-22 from the field and 7-of-13 from deep.
Curry did his part with 30 points of his own, combining for 13-of-24 from outside, while the remaining Warriors struggled to an 0-for-9 mark.
This was the first time this season where Curry and Thompson had scored 30 points each — a missed sight by most fans, and the 12th time they've done so over the course of their careers, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
1. Only a road win away from the all-time franchise record
The Warriors managed to tie the franchise record for consecutive road wins in a season and have tied the 1996-97 Utah Jazz with it as well, standing one game from cementing their name into franchise history and tying the 1994-95 Miami Heat and two away from tying the mythical 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
They'll face perhaps their toughest test on the road against Houston on Saturday — team with which they've split the season series thus far — but will have to wait until the end of the month to tie the all-time record against the Jazz on Jan. 30.
If they get past these two formidable opponents on the road, they could go for the all-time mark against the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 2 at the Golden 1 Center.