The Golden State Warriors rebounded in a big way on Thursday night, defeating the Chicago Bulls 131-106 on the second night of a back-to-back.
This comes after consecutive losses in which the Warriors were blown out at home by the Boston Celtics and blew an 18-point lead to the Sacramento Kings.
Steph Curry, notably, played against the Bulls after playing one half of most back-to-backs this season, but he posted 21 points, four rebounds and seven assists on Thursday.
Quinten Post and Gui Santos stole the show for the Warriors
Gui Santos scored 19 points, shooting five-of-six from the 3-point line, and was also a facilitating presence on the inside throughout the night. Quinten Post, playing in only his sixth NBA game, scored 20 points and made five threes in just under 20 minutes on the court.
Over the past two games, Post has been a revelation for the Warriors. While second-year center Trayce Jackson-Davis has certainly elevated his game recently, the team has seen what a floor-spacing big man such as Post can provide to the offense.
Here is Steph Curry on Quinten Post and the benefit of playing with a stretch center
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 23, 2025
“You have a counter to aggressive defenses that want to take the ball out of my hands…Try to create advantage off his presence — or a shooter’s presence at the five. It definitely helps.” pic.twitter.com/nkJTPn8BHN
Having a stretch big could help the Warriors offense -- which has looked stagnant at times -- create both more lanes to drive to the basket and open shots from beyond the arc. With their decisive victory over the Bulls, they have helped their case for acquiring a player with this exact skillset.
No Longer Bullish?
The Bulls, who have now fallen to 19-26, are currently the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the Bulls will only get to keep their first-round pick for 2025 if they finish in the bottom 10 of the entire NBA. As a result of the elevated play of Zach LaVine, who is averaging 24 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists this season, the Bulls are in contention for a play-in spot over halfway through the season.
Nevertheless, their recent rough stretch has been capped off by a reeling loss to the Warriors. They have now lost six of their last seven and sit at the bottom six in the league for both offensive and defensive rating during that stretch.
In short, as it stands, they are too good to tank and too inconsistent to contend seriously for a playoff spot. As the Warriors consider a potential move for a center at the trade deadline, this rough stretch for the Bulls could motivate them to finally deal one of their centerpieces.
While the Bulls are looking more and more likely to keep LaVine before the deadline according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Warriors should be interested in Nikola Vučević, their 34-year-old floor-spacing big man.
Through 44 games this season, Vučević is averaging 20.1 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 41.2% from the 3-point line. While Vučević's contract carries a relatively hefty $20 million annual value, the Bulls could certainly be motivated to move him for future draft capital given their play as of late.
"Thursday's opponents from Golden State have been known for weeks to be weighing a trade run at Vučević," Fischer wrote in the same LaVine report on Friday.
If this is the case, the Warriors may have helped their cause at the trade deadline directly with their win on Thursday night.