2 min read • January 14, 2022
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Advantage: Bulls Offense
Let's start with this: both of these teams are beat up at the halfway point in the season.
The 27-12 Bulls are without their 3 most versatile forwards – Patrick Williams, Javonte Green, and Derrick Jones Jr. – and are waiting for Alex Caruso to clear health and safety protocols, which he has been in since Jan. 5.
The 30-11 Warriors, despite getting back Klay Thompson last Sunday, are still waiting patiently for James Wiseman to make his season debut. They have also yet to see Thompson play next to both Steph Curry and Draymond Green, as Green is set to miss his 4th consecutive game with calf soreness, a big component in their 2 straight losses.
Both Green and Thompson will sit out on Friday in Chicago, in addition to Gary Payton II, who left Thursday's loss to Milwaukee midway through the 1st quarter with back tightness. Those absences would be enough, but it is well within the realm of possibility that Steve Kerr gives Curry and Andre Iguodala the night off as well (in what would likely be labeled injury management), as he is keen to do in back-to-backs.
While Chicago may be missing many wings, it still has arguably its 4 best players: DeMar DeRozan, Zach Lavine, Lonzo Ball, and Nikola Vucevic. That top-end health gives them the edge.
One thing to note: Golden State has already won 2 games when at seemingly major disadvantages: in Phoenix on Christmas, when the Warriors won without Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and Iguodala, and again in Utah on Jan. 1, when they won without Green and Damion Lee (and Klay Thompson).
UPDATE:
The Warriors announced that Curry is starting on Friday, alongside Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Otto Porter Jr., and Kevon Looney.
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