What we learned as Steph, Warriors make statement vs. Bulls originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Warriors' eight-game homestand is in the books, and as they head on the road with an NBA-best 11-1 record after their 119-93 win over the Chicago Bulls at Chase Center on Friday night, Golden State has to feel good about where they stand.
The Warriors have the top-ranked defense in the NBA to go with the third-best offense. Steph Curry is still looking like an MVP candidate, Draymond Green has kicked into high gear, and their depth is proving to be lethal.
One knock to the Warriors' eight-game homestand was the strength of schedule -- or lack thereof. Sure, most of their games weren't against competitive teams. But their most recent win over Chicago proved the Warriors have the juice to beat top-caliber teams -- and do so convincingly.
Here are three takeaways from the night:
Sports
Wiggins keeps his word
Following his breakout game against the Minnesota Timberwolves a few days ago, Andrew Wiggins said he needs to maintain the level of aggression he played with that helped him catch fire.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
We've heard Wiggins say this before, but it doesn't always come to fruition. But against the Bulls, he was a man of his word.
Throughout the night, Wiggins continuously attacked the rim, finishing dunks, getting put-back shots and not shying down from contact. He finished the game with 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting, seven rebounds and two assists. His offense wasn't as fiery as two nights before, but his defense was much-improved.
Wiggins did a nice job on DeMar DeRozan and stayed active on that end of the floor all night, getting two steals and a block
Curry’s third quarter
Curry caught fire in the third and helped the Warriors balloon their lead to 19 at one point after leading by just six points at halftime.
But Curry came out scorching -- scoring nine points in the first three minutes, and 15 total in the quarter.
His performance in the third was a nice switch up from his performance in the first half. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't Curry. According to assistant coach Bruce Fraser, it has taken some time for Curry to get acclimated to his new rotation minutes and is still working on it. It's very evident at times.
But, Curry figured it out in the second half, finishing the night with 40 points on 15-of-24 scoring, including 9-of-17 from three, four rebounds and five assists. And his hot third quarter is what helped the Warriors take the reigns of the game heading into the fourth.
Defense still looks more than sound
After facing a number of lower-tiered teams over the past week, there was a question of how the Warriors' No. 1-ranked defense would hold up against a good offensive team.
Well, the Bulls entered Chase Center with the fifth-best offense in the league, and the Warriors held them to under 100 points on 43.6 percent shooting from the field and 29.6 percent from 3-point range, swiped 15 steals and outrebounded the Bulls 47 to 38.
RELATED: Otto Porter Jr. sustains quad contusion, returns to game
Golden State's defense really locked in in the third quarter, when they held Chicago to just 17 points. The Bulls only scored a combined 33 points in the second and third quarters.
Zach LaVine was Chicago's leading scorer with 23, but the Warriors managed to keep somewhat of a cap on all their other scoring threats, DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso.
