The Warriors face the Chicago Bulls in the Windy City on Sunday evening.
Warriors at BullsSunday, December 275:00 p.m.
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RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Mobile App and Warriors Radio Network
WINTER MATCHUP IN THE WINDY CITY
The Warriors head to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bulls in a Sunday evening matchup. The weekend matchup is the first of two times these squads will meet during the 2020-21 season, with a second matchup yet to be announced during the second half of the campaign. The Warriors and Bulls met twice last season, with the Dubs sweeping the series.
LAST TIME OUT The Warriors hung with the Milwaukee Bucks through the first half of their Christmas Day game, but combination of cold shooting from the Dubs and the hot hands of the Bucks proved to be too much for the squad as they fell 138-99 in the road contest » Full Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
PREVIOUS GAME'S STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andrew Wiggins, Eric Paschall and James Wiseman
CHI: Zach Lavine, Coby White, Lauri Markkanen, Patrick Williams and Wendell Carter Jr.
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Draymond Green (right foot soreness) and Alen Smailagic (right knee soreness) are TBD. Klay Thompson (right Achilles rehab) is out. Team Notes
CHI: Thaddeus Young (lower leg) is TBD. Team Notes
WISEMAN PUTTING IN WORK
For a guy who played just three games in college and has since practiced just a handful of times with his NBA club, James Wiseman has certainly been a bright spot for the Warriors two games into his professional career. After showing off a solid inside-out game in his NBA debut on Tuesday, Wiseman once again displayed a high level of efficiency in Friday’s Christmas Day matchup in Milwaukee. Over his first two games, Wiseman has shot 12-for-24 from the floor and is a 4-for-5 on three-pointers. Wiseman had an easy dunk to finish off a pick-and-roll with Stephen Curry early in Friday’s game, and the chemistry between those two will only grow as they play more together. In addition, Wiseman’s 7-foot-6 wingspan was evident with a huge block in that game, offering a glimpse of the kind of rim protection he will be able provide. Two games is certainly a small sample size, but Dub Nation has to like what they’re seeing so far from the 19-year-old center.
TEAM LEADERS
CHICAGO SCOUTING REPORT
The Chicago Bulls enter the 2020-21 season with a mix of both old and new on their squad. Returning is the team’s core team of two-time Slam Dunk Champion and their leading scorer last season Zach LaVine (25.5 points per game), as well as three-point threats Lauri Markkanen (35.8 percent on his career) and Coby White (2.0 treys per game on 35.4 percent last year). But following a 22-43 season, the Bulls have brought in new leadership and fresh blood, most notably in forward Patrick Williams and head coach Billy Donovan. Like Wiseman, Williams in a 19-year-old rookie who has made his way into the Chicago starting lineup after one year in college. He became the youngest in Bulls history to start in their first game of the season after a strong preseason campaign, and had himself a 16-point NBA debut. Head Coach Donovan was previously with the Oklahoma City Thunder where he had a career coaching record of 400-243 with five playoff appearances in five-plus seasons. The Bulls dropped their opening game of the season to the new-look Atlanta Hawks, and enter Sunday’s contest as the second half of a back-to-back after hosting the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.