SAN FRANCISCO _ When Golden State Warriors players walked into Chase Center for shootaround Wednesday morning, they stepped into a new $1.4 billion arena flooded after the first heavy rain storms in the Bay Area in several months. As a result of a broken pipe, water seeped into offices and work spaces. The pipe was quickly repaired in the afternoon and floors were dry by game time.
Entering the night having lost 10 of their last 11 games, the Warriors are also on the mend. Not only did forward Draymond Green return to the lineup after missing three games with a sore right heel, but they also got a much-needed win, beating the Chicago Bulls 104-90.
With Green rounding out a nine-man rotation, the Warriors' defense was much improved after giving up an average of 118 points in three straight losses and held an opponent to less than 40% shooting for the first time all season.
The Warriors (4-15) went the first four minutes of the game without a made field goal but, after guard Alec Burks' layup broke the seal, Green and rookie Eric Paschall scored on the next two possessions. They then used a 10-0 run to take an 11-9 lead.
Later, forward Omari Spellman's putback dunk put the finishing touches on an impressive first quarter in which the Warriors outscored the Bulls 24-8 in the final nine minutes, a lead they would maintain for most of the game.
In the third quarter, the Bulls (6-13) used a 10-0 run to tie the game at 69, but back-to-back makes by Marquese Chriss extended the Warriors' lead to five. While the Bulls kept the game close for most of the second half, the Warriors showed the kind of poise they lacked in crunch time of Monday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In the final three minutes on Monday, the Warriors gave up a 13-0 run as they let a 15-point lead slip away. Having led by as many as 13 points on Wednesday, Chicago's run in the third quarter could have resulted in similar disappointment.
However, unlike against Oklahoma City, the Warriors made shots down the stretch. After Burks made a contested 3-pointer from the top of the key and Glenn Robinson III drilled a 3-pointer from the corner with 3:52 left in regulation, Spellman blocked a midrange jumper by Zach LaVine that instigated a fastbreak.
Green darted to the right corner, got the ball from Burks and knocked down a 3-pointer. After extending Golden State's lead to 12, Green let out a roar that induced a Chicago timeout. After that, the floodgates were open. The Warriors outscored the Bulls 13-5 in the final four minutes in route to a much-needed win.
Paschall scored a team-high 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and three assists, while Burks had 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Green finished with seven points, eight assists, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks in 24 minutes.
The Warriors have won each of the last two games Green has played, last beating the Memphis Grizzlies 114-95 on Nov. 19.
The victory sends the Warriors off into a five-game trip spanning 10 days with games in Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Charlotte and Chicago. With Green back and the defense in better shape, the Warriors could add center Kevon Looney (neuropathy) and guard D'Angelo Russell (thumb) to the rotation while on the road.
A team that has played a chunk of the season with fewer than 10 players could finally be getting healthy just as the team is starting to jell.
One win over an Eastern Conference team unlikely to make the postseason won't change expectations _ nor should it _ but it's a sign of progress during an unexpected rebuilding season to open up a brand-new arena, broken pipes and all.
