Warriors bounce back to beat Bulls
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Klay Thompson celebrated his 27th birthday by hitting six 3-pointers en route to a game-high 28 points, and the Golden State Warriors outscored the Chicago Bulls 45-12 from beyond the arc on their way to a comfortable 123-92 win over the undermanned Eastern Conference visitors Wednesday night.
The win, which came three days after a loss at Sacramento, allowed the Warriors to extend their NBA-record streak of games without consecutive losses to 138.
Golden State is now 18-0 following a loss in the run that dates back to April of 2015.
Kevin Durant recorded a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double with seven assists, and Draymond Green added 19 points to complement eight rebounds and six assists as the Warriors (44-8) recorded their seventh straight home win.
The Bulls (26-27) were playing without All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler, who missed his third consecutive game with a bruised heel, and shooting guard Dwyane Wade, who stayed at the team hotel because of an upper respiratory illness.
Robin Lopez had a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Taj Gibson had 15 points with nine rebounds for the Bulls, who fell to 2-2 on their six-game trip.
Avoiding a possible look-ahead to an attention-grabbing trip to Memphis and Oklahoma City this weekend, the Warriors broke from an 11-11 tie with a 13-point flurry. Thompson contributed a pair of 3-pointers and Durant added a three-point play to the early runaway.
The Warriors extended the lead to 15 in the second quarter and to 20 in the third en route to a ninth consecutive home win this season against Eastern Conference competition.
Thompson, who made his 400th career start, finished 10 of 18 from the field and 6 of 9 on 3-pointers, helping the Warriors go 15 for 28 from beyond the arc.
Stephen Curry had one of the 3-pointers, but saw his streak of consecutive games with 20 or more points end at 16. He finished with 13 points.
The Bulls, meanwhile missed 20 of their 24 3-point attempts.
Backup Rajon Rondo had a game-high eight assists to go with 12 points and six rebounds for Chicago, which shot just 40.7 percent from the field.
The Warriors made 55.8 percent of their shots overall.
NOTES: The Warriors' next two games are a back-to-back, Friday at Memphis, which has beaten Golden State twice already this season, and Saturday at Oklahoma City in SF Kevin Durant's return. ... The Bulls finish of their six-game trip at Phoenix on Friday and at Minnesota Sunday. ... Bulls SF Jimmy Butler (bruised heel) reported continuing pain during Wednesday's shootaround, making him doubtful to return Friday. ... The Bulls expect to get SG Dwyane Wade (upper respiratory infection) back for the Phoenix game. ... Warriors SG Klay Thompson had played twice previously on his birthday and averaged just 13.0 point per game.