Slumping Warriors Host Bulls

Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and the Warriors haven’t had much to smile about lately.

The National Basketball Association can be a fickle place. Just ask the Golden State Warriors.

A month ago, the Warriors were enjoying a purple patch that saw the side win 10 straight and 12 of 14. Now Mark Jackson’s side is simply looking to win more than it loses.

The Warriors host the Chicago Bulls Thursday in a nationally televised matchup that really could go either way.

Tip-off at Oracle Arena is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.

Since matching a franchise-best with 10 consecutive wins, Golden State (29-20, 14-9 home) has posted a meagre 5-7 record and gone from contending for the Pacific Division title to sitting precariously in the Western Conference’s No. 6 seed.

The Warriors’ turning fortunes were never better illustrated than in Tuesday’s 91-75 home loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.

The side shot just 31.2 percent from the floor, the franchise’s worst shooting effort in almost a decade. The 75 points that the Warriors did put on the board were the team’s second fewest of the season, after tallying 74 on the road against the San Antonio Spurs back in November.

Jackson was quick to show his support for the starting lineup, telling the Oakland Tribune: “You show me a guy on that bench that’s played well enough to force my hand to change [the starting lineup].”

To a man, the Warriors were frustrated with the loss, which snapped a two-game winning streak. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Co. will be looking to make amends when they host the Bulls on Thursday. To do so, they’ll have to navigate another aspect of their poor play: their recent home record.

After starting the year 12-2 at home, the Warriors have dropped five of their last seven at Oracle Arena. Strangely enough, the two wins came against the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers, a pair of Western Conference contenders. A win over the Bulls might not be quite the scalp those results were, but in the NBA a win is a win and right now the Warriors need to win.

Carlos Boozer is unhappy he’s not getting more fourth quarter action.

Chicago (24-24, 11-14 road) is currently in the midst of a six-game road trip while Disney On Ice lodges at the United Center.

Tom Thibodeau’s side began the jaunt with a surprise win over the Spurs last Wednesday before dropping games to the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings.

Having already faced a ton of adversity this season, the Bulls were thrown into yet another state of unease Monday when Carlos Boozer complained about not playing significant minutes in the fourth quarter.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Morrissey posted an article that probably cut a little close to the bone for Boozer this week, but the Bulls came out on Tuesday and picked up another surprising win, this time over the Phoenix Suns, moving to 2-2 on this current road trip.

Now the side will look to win a third straight against the Warriors.

Chicago Bulls vs. Golden State Warriors odds for 02/06/2014

Golden State opened as the favorite over Chicago, thanks in part to home court advantage and in part to a recent string of good form against the Bulls in Oakland.

While Chicago has won seven of the last 10 meetings between the sides, Golden State has won 11 of the last 15 played between the two at Oracle Arena. The Bulls’ victory in the building last campaign snapped a three-game skid in Oakland.

The spread opened at 8 in favor of the Warriors.

Neither Golden State (21-26-2 ATS) nor Chicago (22-26-0 ATS) has fared well against the spread this season. The Bulls may have the edge though.

The Warriors are just 8-14-1 ATS at Oracle Arena this season while the Bulls are 12-13-0 ATS away from the United Center. Chicago is 6-3-1 ATS in its last 10 games against Golden State.

The over/under opened at 190.5 and has climbed as high as 192 with some sportsbooks.

Both Golden State (20-28-1) and Chicago (19-29-0) have favored the under this season. Six of the last eight meetings between the sides have seen the total go under. Furthermore, 13 of the last 19 games the teams have played in Oakland have seen the total go under.

The smart money then is on the under.

Golden State will travel to Chicago to face the Bulls at the United Center on February 26 (8:00 p.m. ET) in the second of two regular season meetings between the sides this season.

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In related news, Golden State’s bid to build a new arena on a dilapidated pier in San Francisco appears to have taken another step backwards. Speaking with KNBR-680, team owner Joe Lacob confirmed that the 2017 date the team had in mind for moving is no longer achievable.

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