CHICAGO — The Chicago Bulls have not beaten the Golden State Warriors since March 2, 2017, an 11-game losing streak that ended on Sunday with a 132-118 victory at the United Center.
The Bulls won despite missing the services of their leading scorer, DeMar DeRozan, for the third consecutive game due to a right quad strain.
Their triumph instead came on the heels of Zach LaVines’s 27 points and Nikola Vucevic’s 43 points on 18 for 31 from the field, including five made 3-pointers on 10 attempts.
“I know I’m capable of it. I know how good I am, especially on the offensive end. It’s just me finding my spots and playing that way,” Vucevic remarked in postgame interviews.
The Vucenic-LaVine stampede was also aided by a lot of angry Bulls.
Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmo each had 12 points and combined for 12 assists and 10 rebounds while Coby White contributed with 15 points off the bench. Patrick Williams also finished with double-figures in scoring with 10 as the Bulls converted 50.5 percent from the field.
Despite Golden State’s explosive 42 point second quarter, they only finished the half with a three-point lead at 62-59. The Bulls kept it close the rest of the game before pulling away in the fourth quarter.
Warriors Coach Steve Kerr was unhappy with his team’s performance, noting that the Bulls “had seven or eight stampede fast breaks that ended up in layups or dunks. And that’s because of poor offensive possessions, either on difficult shot attempts or turnovers.”
Stephen Curry finished with 20 points and Klay Thompson notched 26.
