The Warriors chase for history has suddenly turned into a race to stay ahead in the Western Conference.
With a showdown against the Spurs looming, Golden State finishes off a three-game Eastern Conference road swing against the Bulls, who they were able to beat 106-94 at home in November.
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SCHEDULING
A rough three-game road trip comes to an end Wednesday in Chicago for a Warriors team suddenly looks very beatable. Golden State opened the trip by getting humbled in Detroit on Saturday in a game interim coach Luke Walton call an “ass kicking.” It was also the Dubs’ second loss in three games, prompting some to say the team has run out of gas. You could say the Warriors are looking ahead, and you’d probably be right. Their upcoming home-stand includes the most anticipated game of the season when the Warriors host San Antonio on Monday. While Golden State has received all the attention for the historic start, the Spurs are lurking right behind in the battle for supremacy in the Western Conference.
Faced with the loss of Joakim Noah for the rest of the season, the Bulls are also dealing with some inconsistent play. They couldn’t overcome the loss of Noah Saturday against Dallas, losing for the fourth time in five games. Chicago also has an important stretch of games upcoming, with a back-to-back set at Boston and Cleveland following its showdown with the Warriors. Chicago entered Monday’s game with Detroit on a five-game ATS losing streak and is 9-14 ATS at home this season.
INJURIES
An MRI exam revealed Bulls center Noah needed surgery to fix a left shoulder dislocation and would miss the remainder of the season. Noah sustained the injury Friday against Dallas. Rookie Bobby Portis and Cameron Bairstow could see increased minutes, but ultimately picking up the slack falls on veterans Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson up front. Also, Kirk Hinrich is questionable with a leg injury that forced him out of Monday’s game.
KEY MATCHUP
For the second time in 11 days, Jimmy Butler reminded the Bulls just how lost they’d be without him. Butler tossed in 53 points last week as the Bulls pulled out an overtime victory in Philadelphia after trailing by as much as 24 in the first half. Even the most balanced, well-put-together teams are predicated on having a go-to crunch time player. A guy, who, merely by being on the floor, gives his club a chance to win. Derrick Rose used to be that guy for the Bulls. Now, it’s Butler, the one player on the roster whose on-court performance has been beyond reproach as he’s posting a 57.1 true-shooting percentage and playing his usual lockdown defense. The only certainty for the Bulls right now is that they have a franchise player who not only has the physical ability to be a go-to scorer but the will to grind it out and do the dirty work to keep them competitive.
ANAYLSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Bulls have been difficult to get a read on this season. A recent six-game winning streak had many thinking the club had figured out how to play Hoiberg’s up-tempo style. They were running the floor, scoring and, of course, winning. Then suddenly, and really for no apparent reason, the Bulls forgot how to win. Losses to Washington and Milwaukee were upsetting. They needed a miraculous effort from Butler to beat Philly in overtime and they score 77 points in a loss to Dallas. Frustrating was a word Hoiberg used to describe his team’s play during that stretch. Now they have to deal with the emotional loss of one of their leaders after Noah went down for the year. But just when everything looks bleak for the Bulls, they find a way to make everyone start believing again. This is one of those times. They take advantage of the road-weary Dubs, who just played two of the most physical teams in the Eastern Conference on the front of their three-game road trip.
Chicago 111, Golden State 108
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