Stephen Curry’s ankle injury worsened the Golden State Warriors’ catastrophic loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night at Chase Centre.
The two-time MVP hobbled off the court after twisting his ankle during a drive with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Curry’s absence, along with that of Draymond Green, who fouled out with a minute to play, proved costly as DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls to victory in a nail-biting game on the second night of a back-to-back for both teams.
The Golden State Warriors are prepared to calculate the cost beyond their 125-122 loss to the Chicago Bulls at Chase Centre on Thursday night.
Golden State built a 31-18 lead in the first session, carrying over their momentum from Wednesday’s blowout victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. However, a DeRozan four-point play late in the quarter aided Chicago’s comeback, which lasted the rest of the first half.
The Bulls had a 63-59 lead at halftime before maintaining control of the game, taking a 10-point edge into the fourth quarter. However, with to some more big efforts from Warrior youngsters Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis, the hosts retook the lead in what became a back-and-forth fight in the closing few minutes.
Curry’s night ended early after only 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting, and Green fouled out on a moving screen after recording his first triple-double in over two years. With 40 seconds remaining, Klay Thompson hit a three to give Golden State the lead back, but DeRozan reclaimed it for Chicago with a third-and-one on Jonathan Kuminga.
Brandin Podziemski had a golden opportunity to tie the game in the waning seconds, but missed the bunny at the rim, effectively ending the Warriors’ chances of winning.
The Bulls came into the game ranked 22nd in three-pointers attempted and 23rd in three-point percentage, while the Warriors were third and ninth in both categories. Despite these figures, Chicago would make five more threes in the game, shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc to Golden State’s 26.2%.
While that may have been the difference, the story will undoubtedly be Curry, with the organization now concerned about their superstar’s fitness. Head coach Steve Kerr provided no update on the 34-year-old in the postgame, but there are concerns that Curry will miss time with only 20 games remaining in the regular season.
Thompson led the Warriors with five three-pointers and 25 points off the bench. Kuminga had 19 points and 10 rebounds but will be disappointed with how he handled DeRozan down the stretch, while Green finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in just under 33 minutes.
The Golden State bench outscored Chicago by 58-20, with Chris Paul contributing 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists. Moody finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in under 23 minutes, while Jackson-Davis contributed eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
The Warriors’ next two games will be against the San Antonio Spurs, starting on Saturday night at Chase Centre.
