The Chicago Bulls fell to the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, 119-111.
Chicago was only down by two points at the end of the first quarter, but the defending champs jumped out to a 28-19 advantage in the second quarter to head into halftime with an 11 point lead.
The Bulls made a run in the fourth quarter, cutting the Warriors’ lead to just four points with just under three minutes remaining but couldn’t get over that hump.
Nikola Vucevic led the way for Chicago on Friday with 23 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, and three steals on 9-of-17 from the field.
Zach LaVine finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. DeMar DeRozan struggled from the floor on Friday, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds, and seven assists on just 4-of-15 from the field.
Check out the player grades from Chicago’s road loss to Golden State on Friday.
DeMar DeRozan: C+
DeRozan struggled shooting on Friday, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds, and seven assists on just 4-of-15 from the field, but hit 8-of-9 from the free throw line. It’s not often that the efficient DeRozan has a down game from the field, but the defending champs made him work.
Zach LaVine: B
Zach LaVine finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals on Friday while shooting 8-of-18 from the field. LaVine only got three free throw attempts as the need for him to attack the cup and get to the line will help the Bulls’ offense.
Nikola Vucevic: B+
Nikola Vucevic led the way for the Bulls on Friday with 23 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, and three steals on 9-of-17 from the field. Vooch scored 15 first-half points but it wasn’t enough to keep the Bulls close at halftime.
Alex Caruso: C
Alex Caruso got the start for Ayo Dosunmu on Friday and wasn’t very effective, finishing with just two points, six assists, and one steal on 1-of-4 shooting. We’ll see if Donovan stays with this new starting lineup or not.
Javonte Green: A-
Javonte Green played well in his promotion to the starting lineup, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block on a team-best +11 on the night. Green made the most of his opportunity starting in place of Patrick Williams and should keep that spot going forward.
Patrick Williams: C
Patrick Williams came off the bench on Friday, finishing with seven points and two rebounds on 3-of-9 shooting from the field. Billy Donovan made the move in hopes that Williams becomes more aggressive on the offensive end. Time shall tell.
Ayo Dosunmu: B
Ayo Dosunmu responded well to his demotion on Friday, finishing with nine points, five rebounds, and three assists on a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor. As for his future coming off the bench, we’ll see what decision Donovan makes for Sunday’s game vs. Kings.
Goran Dragic: A-
Goran Dragic played his best game since returning from injury on Friday, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds, and five assists on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, including scoring 12 of his points in the second half as the Bulls made their come back.
