The Warriors wrap up five-game road trip in Chicago on Friday gainst the Bulls.
Warriors at BullsFriday, December 65:00 p.m.
WATCH: NBCSBA
RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Mobile App and Warriors Radio Network
ONE LAST RUN WITH THE BULLS
The Warriors wrap up their five-game road trip as they head to the Windy City to face the Chicago Bulls on Friday night for the second and final time this season. In their previous matchup, which was just last week, the Dubs claimed their second victory at Chase Center thanks to a 25-point night from Eric Paschall as well as double-doubles from Alec Burks (23 points and 10 rebounds) and Omari Spellman (13 points and career-high 11 rebounds). The Warriors, who had just nine active players for that home victory, head to Chicago with a deeper roster that includes All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell, who missed the previous matchup with a sprained thumb.
LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors hung with the Hornets for two and a half quarters, but Charlotte’s hot 3-point shooting opened the game up in the second half, leaving the Dubs with a 106-91 defeat on Wednesday. Full Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
LAST GAME'S STARTERS
GSW: D’Angelo Russell, Glenn Robinson III, Eric Paschall, Draymond Green and Willie Cauley-Stein
CHI: Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, Tomas Satoransky, Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter, Jr.
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Stephen Curry (left hand fracture), Damion Lee (right hand fracture), Jacob Evans (left abductor strain), Alen Smailagić (G League assignment) and Klay Thompson (left ACL rehab) are out. Team Notes
CHI: Otto Porter, Jr. (left foot) and Cristiano Felicio (right wrist) are out. Team Notes
D-LO BACK WHERE HE LEFT OFF
D’Angelo Russell is back in action after missing nine games due to a sprained thumb. Prior to the injury, Russell was on a five-game run in which he averaged 29.6 points on 51 percent from the field and 38.6 percent on three-point shots, including a 52-point night against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 8. Limited to under 25 minutes in his return on Wednesday in Charlotte, Russell still finished with 18 points while continuing his targeted shooting with 7-of-14 on field goals (50 percent) and splashing 3-of-8 shots from beyond the arc (37.5 percent). Now reinserted into his role in the Dubs’ starting lineup, Russell will continue on with his career year in which he is currently averaging highs in scoring (23.7 points) and field goal percentage (45.8 percent).
TEAM LEADERS
CHICAGO SCOUTING REPORT
The Bulls are coming off of seven-point wins against the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies for their first set of consecutive victories this season. Fueling these wins have been Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen. LaVine, who also had 36 points against the Dubs last week, finished with 28 points and 25 points respectively, surpassing his season average of 22.5 points in both contests. Though Markkanen has been in a shooting slump this season, he is showing signs of heating up as well: after averaging over 36 percent from deep his first two seasons and sitting at career-lows in scoring (13.6 points) and three-point percentage (31.0 percent), Markkanen has averaged 17.5 points with four made treys per game in his previous two. Chicago continues to lead the NBA in steals and points off turnovers, however the Warriors successfully limited the damage last time and allowed just 13 points off turnovers in their 104-90 home win over the Bulls.