After subtracting the second quarter, when they relapsed to their uninspired, defensively unsound ways of recent games, the Warriors found a recipe to bring applause to Chase Center on Friday night.
While the result won't deter roster upgrades, this was mostly a team basketball game. Unlike the team that slept through two losses this week, the Warriors cared about possessions and wanted to win.
Those were the main reasons Golden State beat the Bulls 140-131 in Chicago. After Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga's strong performances, they should resonate across the squad, coaching staff, and front office, maybe even outside the league.
Coach Steve Kerr told United Center reporters, “The whole group, the whole team, was just committed to ‘Let's go out and win. I'm proud of them. They and we took a lot of heat this week. As deserved. This is professional behavior. Many are champions. You must respond, and they did.”
Response felt revitalizing. No, the Warriors are not suddenly a contender. No contest between subpar clubs, none of which plays defense, can decide that. Golden State's biggest issue is defense, so we'll return to that.
The Warriors were dynamic, connected, and aware. They had three turnovers and two team turnovers for 39 assists. After eight more shots, eight more rebounds, and more points off second chances (21-10) and fast breaks (19-12), they defeated the Bulls. Two blowout losses to the Raptors and Pelicans had left the Warriors lacking in dignity.
“Those last two games, we just felt like they were anomalies of the season,” Klay Thompson told NBC Sports Bay Area. Many close fights have been lost while we fight hard. Nothing deterred us. We realize the season is lengthy and fluctuates.
The Warriors dropped their past two games by 51 points. It may have felt like 100 because Chase Center's few, well-deserved boos bounced off the walls.