SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry put on quite a show for his old college coach from Davidson.
The reigning NBA scoring champion piled up 40 points with nine 3-pointers, Draymond Green delivered another all-around effort and the Golden State Warriors beat the Chicago Bulls 119-93 on Friday night for their seventh straight win.
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“It's special,” Curry said of performing for Davidson coach Bob McKillop, whose team plays San Francisco at Chase Center on Saturday. “The schedule gods worked out somewhat in terms of they got to come to the game. Obviously, we're going to Charlotte tomorrow so I'll miss the Davidson-USF game, but to have Coach in the building ... it always gets me going reminding me of the journey to get here and all that went into making me the player and person I am now.”
Green added nine points, nine rebounds and seven assists after coming into the game questionable with a bruised left thigh he injured in Wednesday’s victory against the Timberwolves. Kevon Looney notched double-digit rebounds in back-to-back games for the third time in his career, grabbing 10 following a career-high 17 two nights earlier.
Golden State went 7-1 on its homestand and improved to 11-1 overall.
“We always used to have one of the best home-court advantages in the league and we want to establish that again,” Looney said. “We've got full capacity now and just want to give the crowd a good show.”
Andrew Wiggins added 15 points and seven rebounds and Jordan Poole had 14 points as Golden State wrapped up an eight-game homestand that matched a franchise record. The Warriors' lone loss came in overtime to Memphis on Oct. 28.
“In general, the high point is establishing our home floor, that this is going to be a tough place to come win a game. And a lot of that is the way we’re playing, a lot of that is our fans, the energy in the building, there’s a really good vibe about the team, the fans feel it,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Great way to start the year but now we’ve got to go out on the road and it’s going to get a lot tougher. We obviously are very happy to be where we are.”
Curry crossed over and blew right by Lonzo Ball for a short jumper in the second quarter and shot 15 for 24 in his 52nd career 40-point game. He is now the NBA's career leader for 3-pointers in both regular season and playoffs with 3,366, passing Ray Allen (3,358).
Zach LaVine scored 23 points and DeMar DeRozan had 18 to lead the Bulls, who missed star Nikola Vucevic during his absence with COVID-19.
“So it’s snowing in Chicago on November 12th, interesting,” the veteran center posted on Twitter from home.
“It’s really our first adversity and that’s where adversity builds a lot of character,” DeRozan said.
Golden State beat the Bulls for the ninth straight time and seventh in a row at home.
“We played the best team in the NBA,” DeRozan said.
HELLO, OLD FRIEND
McKillop got to lead his team through a practice at the Warriors' facility ahead of Saturday's game.
That gave McKillop a chance to share his gratitude for all Curry and the Warriors do to help people. The biggest thing McKillop learned from the two-time MVP: “grace.”
“I couldn't be more blessed to have him as a son in a different sense,” McKillop said. “He's constantly in a quest to do things for people.”
Curry's positive influence on Davidson College is still felt immensely.
“You cannot believe how many people in our town stay up and watch West Coast games because Stephen Curry's playing in the game,” McKillop said. “And they're up ‘til 1 in the morning. You see people in the post office the next day, you see them in the coffee shop the next day and their eyes are droopy because, ’Oh, I was up last night watching Steph play.' What an affirmation and validation of the impact he has had on our community that people of all ages are doing that to this day.”
TIP-INS
Bulls: Chicago made nine of its initial 16 shots and led by as many as 10 in the first while forcing the Warriors into seven turnovers in the opening period. ... Chicago hadn’t won on the Warriors' home floor since a 113-111 overtime win on Jan. 27, 2015. ... This marked the Bulls’ first road game against the Western Conference after beginning 3-1 away from home.
Warriors: Otto Porter Jr. limped to the locker room in the second with a bruised right quadriceps muscle but returned. ... Golden State has made 10 or more steals in six straight games. ... Damion Lee missed a second straight game with soreness in his left hip. “I don’t think it’s too serious, but not anything we want to mess around and get behind,” Kerr said. "Just trying to stay in front of it.”
UP NEXT
Bulls: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday having lost the last five meetings on the road. Chicago began a five-game road stretch out West.
Warriors: Begin a four-game East Coast swing playing at Curry's former hometown of Charlotte on Sunday night. The Warriors beat the Hornets 114-92 on Nov. 3 at Chase Center but have lost the last two in Charlotte.
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