The Golden State Warriors couldn't keep up in the fourth quater against the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday night, but instead had to keep the Chicago Bulls at bay late in the game Monday night at Oracle Arena, eventually earning their first win of the season by the score of 99-91.
With both squads playing the second game of a back-to-back, the Warriors got out of the gates hot, forcing multiple Chicago turnovers and working both ends of the floor hard to take a 57-41 halftime lead. The Bulls chipped away in the second half, working to within six points late in the fourth quarter, but the W's fought on and kept reigning MVP Derrick Rose and the rest of the Bulls far enough out of reach to seal Mark Jackson's first win as an NBA coach.
Steph Curry, Monta Ellis, David Lee and Dorell Wright, or 'the Bay's big four' as I like to call them, lead the way for Golden State tonight as dropped Curry's 21 points, 10 assists and 6 steals, while Monta Ellis scored 26 and seven dimes; great improvements from their showings Christmas night. David Lee played great as well, dropping 22 and seven boards while Dorell Wright added 13.
The W's bench was very impressive as well, with Brandon Rush and Kwame Brown both having key defensive plays (Brown had four steals), and Dominic McQuire hit some clutch free throws at the end of the game.
As for the Bulls, they struggled offensively early which would eventually kill them this evening. Derrick Rose continued his troubles at Oracle scoring 13 points on 4-17 shooting, while Luol Deng led the Bulls with 22 points. Carlos Boozer had only six points in 26 minutes.
It seemed like whenever the W's need a big shot they got it tonight, showing some of the tight defense Mark Jackson had been hoping for; creating havoc with their turnovers, scoring easy buckets, and keeping the energy up throughout the game.
Unfortunately Curry would leave the game late in the fourth after apparently re-injuring his already tender right ankle, which hopefully won't be a serious injury. Nevertheless, it may be time to give his some rest despite his great play tonight.
Now with their first win under their belts, Coach Jackson and Co. and can hopefully start stringing some together now.
For more in depth discussion and analysis of the Golden State Warriors, head over to Golden State of Mind.