Chicago Bulls Demolish Golden State Warriors 103-83 With Nearly Perfect Defense

Feb 26, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson during the first half against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors’ 4-game winning streak came to an abrupt end Wednesday night when they played a truly good defensive team in the Chicago Bulls. This was a reality check for them because their previous opponents had been poor, defensively speaking. On this hard road trip, where they will see the two of the top three teams in   the Eastern Conference, the Warriors are going to need to make some noise.

Wednesday night, Joakim Noah and the Bulls weren’t having any of that. They defeated the Warriors by a whopping score of 103-83.

Starting off well, the Warriors played solid defense and got their offense off to a decent start in the first quarter when they outscored Chicago 24-21. Winning in that arena, however, always presented itself as a challenge, as the Warriors have now lost 11 of their last 12 there. From the buzzer of the first quarter till the end of the game, the Bulls just took over.

Defense magically disappeared in the second quarter. The Warriors battled hard, supposedly, but were torched by the Bulls for 35 points in the second to their 21. This quarter really set the ominous tone for them the rest of the game, and they were unable to escape their offensive funk that haunted them for the rest of the game.

The third quarter wasn’t much different. The Bulls once again outscored the Warriors, and really proved that they are one of NBA’s best defensive teams. Shutting down a high-powered with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, and other scorers is not an easy thing to do. These players, other than Lee, had nightmarish offensive nights.

Curry, one of the best shooters in the NBA, finished with 5 points on 2/10 shooting. Thompson, another of NBA’s finest shooters finished with 8 points. Lee and Jordan Crawford had the only decent nights with 11 points and 16 points respectively.

For the Bulls, Noah finished with 8 points and 17 rebounds, Boozer netted 15 points and added in 13 rebounds, and Jimmy Butler had a fantastic game with 16 points, 3 blocks, and 3 steals.

Coming into this game, they had a bounce in their step. After facing the harsh reality of a good defensive team, the Warriors fell hard. Now, they will look to get their mojo back as they face the struggling New York Knicks, who have been bombarded with more problems than the Warriors this season. Should be an interesting one: the Knicks have talent, but no mentality.