The Golden State Warriors needed a win in the worst way after they suffered two consecutive blowout defeats at home to the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans, prompting the Chase Center faithful to erupt in a chorus of boos. On Friday night, however, they faced a Chicago Bulls team that was highly-motivated, and as a result, they went down by 13 points at the half, 75-62.
Both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson struggled mightily in the first half; Curry had six points on 2-9 shooting, while Thompson had seven on 2-8. That display is so far off from what everyone has grown accustomed to from the Splash Brothers. But something during the halftime intermission lit up a fire underneath the Dubs.
Thompson came out guns blazing in the third quarter, going 5-5 from deep and 2-2 from the line for a total of 17 points, leading the way for the Warriors in a 48-point quarter that swung the momentum in their favor for good. With Curry sealing the deal in the final minutes, the Dubs came away with a 140-131 win, renewing all hope for a team that has, in Steve Kerr's words, lost confidence in recent days.
“It can be a championship team. Obviously, we can't claim that right now, being sub-.500, but we know when we get whole, we can be as good as anybody. […] We understand that it's not going to be easy this year, we have to fight for wins every night. But we know the sky's the limit for a team like this,” Thompson said in his postgame interview, per Warriors on NBC Sports on Twitter (X).
The Warriors do have championship pedigree, and for teams like this, it's always difficult to count them out entirely, especially when there's still more than half of the season left to play. Draymond Green, the anchor of their defense and the team's heart and soul, should also be back on the hardwood soon.
Alas, the Warriors may have to make moves to extend Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson's title-contending window, although there remains a few roadblocks in those trade pursuits. For now, however, the Dubs can enjoy their night after earning a huge victory on the road.