SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry’s troublesome right ankle buckled again, and it hurt more than anything for the Golden State Warriors in yet another late-game loss.
Coach Steve Kerr had no immediate postgame update on the two-time MVP’s status, other than that his foot was being treated in a bucket of ice.
DeMar DeRozan converted a three-point play with 26 seconds left after hitting a key jumper with 43 seconds left on his way to 33 points, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Warriors 125-122 on Thursday night after Curry limped and went to the locker room in the final minutes.
“DeMar made the and-one, I thought that was the key shot in the last few minutes,” Kerr said. “…DeMar is one of the great defenders in the game and has been for 10 years.”
Klay Thompson gave the Warriors the lead on a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left before DeRozan delivered again in Chicago’s third straight victory.
Curry came out with 3:51 left having scored 15 points, while Thompson finished with 25 points.
Nikola Vucevic had 33 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for Chicago, scoring a 3-point basket with 2:49 remaining. The Bulls won for the fourth time in five games and ended an eight-game losing streak on Golden State’s home court with their first victory in the Bay Area since a 113-111 overtime victory on Jan. 27, 2015.
Jonathan Kuminga scored 19 points for Golden State, his 40th double-digit performance in the last 42 games, while Draymond Green fouled out with 58 seconds left after recording a triple-double of 11 points, 12 assists assists and 10 rebounds as both teams played the second. night back to back.
Chris Paul’s jumper with 9:09 left brought the Warriors within 100-97 and Thompson hit a jumper to bring Golden State within 105-104 with 6:47 remaining. After a Bulls timeout, DeRozan responded.
The Warriors looked a little exhausted after outscoring the Bucks 32-9 in the fourth quarter and dishing out 37 assists.
Curry started 1 of 7, missing four of his first five 3-point attempts, only to score five points by halftime as Golden State trailed 63-59 at the break. He connected from deep with 9:35 left in the third.
Chicago coach Billy Donovan said before the game that Bulls assistant Chris Fleming would not face league discipline after making contact with John Collins in the final seconds of a victory 119-117 against Utah on Wednesday night. The Bulls were in communication with the league office and Donovan said there was no indication Fleming would face a fine or suspension.
The altercation involving Fleming almost cost Chicago the game. DeRozan was double-teamed and fouled with 9.3 seconds left when things got heated. Fleming appeared to try to restrain Collins and pushed him away, and Collins came towards the coach.
FOLLOWING
Bulls: At the Los Angeles Clippers Saturday night.
Warriors: Host San Antonio on Saturday night.
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