Warriors 99, Bulls 91
Monta Ellis scored 26 points, David Lee tallied 22 points and Stephen Curry had 21 points, 10 assists and six steals and to lead the Golden State Warriors to an impressive 99-91 victory over the visiting Chicago Bulls on Monday.
Golden State (1-1) recorded 16 steals in giving Mark Jackson his first career coaching victory and improving to 9-2 in its last 11 home games against the Bulls.
Luol Deng had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago (1-1), which defeated the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day.
The Bulls committed 20 turnovers in a sloppy performance and reigning MVP Derrick Rose had just 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting.
Curry left the game with 5:52 remaining and didn’t return after reinjuring his right ankle.
Golden State led 84-65 after Lee’s hoop with 8:46 left before Chicago went on an 18-7 spurt to cut its deficit to eight points with 4:25 remaining. The Bulls were unable to get closer than six points down the stretch.
Ellis and Curry combined for just 19 points in Golden State’s season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. The duo had 32 points in Monday’s first half – Ellis with 17, Curry with 15 – as the Warriors took a 57-41 lead.
Golden State had 11 first-half steals while forcing Chicago to commit 14 turnovers.