Although many fans dreaded the upcoming Western Conference road trip, things have been going exceptionally well for the Chicago Bulls thus far. Piling on wins over the Kings and Jazz, the Bulls are steadily creeping closer to a .500 winning percentage.
Entering last night's game, the Bulls held a record of 30-32, just within grasping distance of a winning record. Since losing to the Thunder in the season opener, Chicago hasn't been able to tally more wins than losses all season long. They'd have their hands full with amending that situation last night with the Warriors, as Golden State won 12 of their last 15 games ahead of this matchup.
The Bulls wouldn't be intimidated in the face of this, however, as they came to play last night. DeMar DeRozan and Coby White were their consistently great selves, combining for 53 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and 3 steals, but it was Nikola Vucevic who really outperformed expectations last night. The Montenegrin big man logged 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists while hitting multiple big shots in big moments.
This would be a ceaseless back-and-forth affair, with the game being tied on 13 occasions and a massive 22 total lead changes. Neither team could seem to keep a firm grip on the lead all game long. The tide finally shifted when Steph Curry exited the game with only minutes left on the clock due to an ankle injury. In his absence, Golden State's offense grew stagnant, scoring just # points to close out the game without him.
As a result, the Bulls would emerge with a surprising 125-122 victory. This is the Bulls' fourth consecutive win, officially making it Chicago's longest win streak since February 2022.
Got the job done in Golden State 😤@Plus500 | #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/41OSUQ4xWc
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 8, 2024
The Bulls just achieved a season-best win streak and snapped a 9-year long losing streak at the same time.
The Bulls have reveled in playing the part of streak-busters lately, putting a halt to the positive momentum of both Cleveland and Golden State recently. That wouldn't be the only streak they'd be breaking, as Chicago put a much longer-running streak to rest last night.
Entering last night's game, the Warriors actually held a nine-year-long win streak against the Bulls on their own home court. The last time Chicago beat Golden State on the road was a whopping 3,328 days ago, on the 27th of January all the way back in 2015. The last time the Bulls beat the Warriors on the road, Derrick Rose was still the team's starting point guard and the game took place in an entirely different city—as the Warriors migrated from Oracle Arena to the Chase Center.
To add to the mental high of last night's win, both the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers suffered losses last night. This is big news, as these teams sit directly ahead of Chicago in the standings. If the Bulls hope to avoid the play-in tournament and make the playoffs outright, they will have to make the most of their limited remaining time.
The Bulls are now only 3.5 games behind Indiana and have a solid chance to leap up the play-in tournament ladder by surpassing the Pacers. The 6th-seeded Heat are now only 4.5 games ahead of the Bulls, while the 4th-seeded Magic remain just 6 games out of reach. A strong finish from Chicago could have this team sitting in a much better position than anyone expected from them just a week ago.