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Playing for the first time in nearly two weeks, Stephen Curry scored 32 and the Warriors defeated the Chicago Bulls 116-102 Monday night at Chase Center.
This was Curry’s first game since bruising his tailbone in a March 17 win in Houston. Golden State (23-24) had been 1-4 without its leading scorer, and Curry made his presence felt Monday, pouring in shots from all over the floor and unlocking the Warriors’ free-flowing offensive identity.
“He’s the heart and soul of what we do,” head coach Steve Kerr said of Curry. “I think the last few games, it’s been tough without that dynamic of having Steph flying off screens and running pick-and-roll and spreading the floor and bringing his juice, his life and energy to the game. So we’ve been in a little rut and we needed him and he came through.”
Curry shot 11 of 24 from the field, 6 of 14 from 3-point range and had six assists as the Warriors shot 50.5% overall and assisted on 28 of 46 baskets.
Andrew Wiggins added 21 points on 8 of 15 shooting and Draymond Green had 11, including a 37-footer at the end of the shot clock in the second quarter. This was one of three 3-pointers Green made in the game, the final of which came during a decisive 16-7 run to end the third quarter and take an 11-point lead. Curry scored 12 points in the period, using Globetrotter-type dribble moves to get by Chicago’s defense and drop in a variety of layups and floaters.
“I just thought everybody followed suit and that’s the effect that Steph has,” Kerr said. “He makes the game easier for everybody.”
For the Bulls (19-26), recently acquired center Nikola Vucevic finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists while All-Star guard Zach LaVine was limited to 12 points on 4 of 16 shooting.
The win snaps a four-game skid for a Warriors team in the midst of a playoff push. With Curry back in the lineup and the league’s fourth-easiest remaining schedule — including Thursday’s game at the Miami Heat — Golden State could make a push for more advantageous playoff seeding.
“The last four (games) haven’t really gone our way in terms of execution and energy,” Curry said. “We just wanted to get back to the basketball we’re capable of playing.”
