This one was a rout from the opening minutes. The Warriors came into Chicago on Monday night and simply destroyed a depleted Bulls team.
With a 149-124 victory at United Center, the Warriors completed a three-game road sweep and pushed their record to 7-1 -- their best start since they opened the 2015-16 season by winning 24 in a row.
Here are three takeaways from the win that stretched the team's win streak to five:
Klay's back
You can put away all of your good-luck charms, Warriors fans. Klay Thompson has rejoined himself.
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For the first time this season, Thompson looked like the best of his past on offense. He scored 22 points in the first quarter, 36 points in the half. In 19 first-half minutes, he shot 12-of-16 overall, 10-of-14 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the line.
He finished with 52 points on 18-of-29 shooting, including 14-of-24 from 3-point distance. His 14th triple eclipsed the single-game record of 13 set by teammate Stephen Curry on Nov. 7, 2016.
Thompson entered the game averaging 15.1 points per game on 34.6-percent shooting, including an abysmal 13.9 percent from deep. He had been an afflicted bystander to the scoring fireworks of Stephen Curry (who entered the game is the league's top scorer) and Kevin Durant (who entered as the No. 4 scorer).
Thompson officially came to the party Monday night. And when Thompson is lighting up the scoreboard, it's lights out for the opponent.
McKinnie looking more legit by the day
Alfonzo McKinnie, who came to training camp in September with no guarantees, simply hoping to be noticed by an NBA team, continues to make an impact with the defending champs.
The Chicago native has been playing well prior to Monday but took it to another level during his homecoming, which was witnessed by numerous family members of and friends.
McKinnie posted season-highs in minutes (27), scoring (19 points, on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, 4 of 6 from deep) and rebounds (10). He also registered a blocked shot.
All of that, and still the best part of McKinnie's visit likely came before the game, when he finalized the purchase of a home for his mother.
They treated the ball with extreme care
The second half of a back-to-back set, particularly when it's the final game of a road trip, can be unpredictable and rarely conducive to a well-played game. Things have a tendency to get sloppy.
The Warriors submitted an exception. From the opening tip, they were bursting with energy, scoring franchise-record 92 points in the first half on 62-percent shooting, while limiting the Bulls to 36.5 percent.
The most impressive team number, however, might have been the seven turnovers. One night after committing a season-low 12 giveaways against the Nets in Brooklyn, the Warriors posted another season-low total.
Sure, some of this can be attributed to Chicago's nonchalant defense, but one of several tenets the Warriors live by is "building good habits." This certainly qualifies.
