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.
It 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.
Curry shot 11 of 24 from the field — including 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. It 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, giving the Warriors 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.
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.
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