The Golden State Warriors hung tough withe the Los Angeles Clippers for the majority of Christmas night, but fell silent down the stretch, eventually losing Mark Jackson's first game as an NBA coach. Now the W's have to refocus themselves for a meeting with the ever so dangerous Chicago Bulls, who are fresh off their nail-biting win over the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday themselves.
Andris Biedrins and David Lee were taking care of business the majority of the night down low, but it was the backcourt that struggled against the Clip Show as a hobbled Stephen Curry finished with more turnovers (5) than points (4) while Monta Ellis went 6-19 from the field, something Golden State will have to improve this evening. Hopefully they can have similar output from bench guys like Brandon Rush and rookie Klay Thompson, each scoring 12 and seven respectfully.
Golden State began Christmas night rigid on defense but folded in the second half, allowing 105 points including 65 in the second half alone. Like the Clippers, the Bulls are a high powered offense, and will prove to be another early test for Jackson and his defense-first mentality.
These two teams split their meetings last season, with each winning a game on their home court. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm PT from Oracle Arena with coverage on CSN Bay Area and KNBR 680 AM.
For more on the Warriors, head over to Golden State of Mind.