Warriors Under Review: Bulls, once again, have no answer for Klay Thompson

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It would appear the Warriors have the Bulls' number.

That much was evident back in the end of October, and confirmed again after Golden State coasted to a 146-109 victory over Chicago at Oracle Arena Friday night.

The game was over almost as soon as it started. The Warriors held a double-digit lead for all but 2:19 of the 48-minute beat down.

The victory got the Warriors' second half of the regular season started off on the right foot, and they've now won three in a row, although the road ahead is about to get tougher.

Here are some positives and negatives from a blowout win in which the Warriors sat their starters for the entire fourth quarter:

POSITIVE

Klay Thompson's shooting surge

That December drought is a distant memory. Klay Thompson hasn't just rediscovered his shooting hand. He's shooting the ball as well as anyone in the league over the last two weeks.

He converted an NBA-record 14 3-pointers in the Warriors' victory in Chicago back on Oct. 29, and picked up right where he left off against the Bulls, draining three treys on three attempts within the opening 70 seconds Friday night.

That sequence -- as well as one in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's blowout win over the Knicks -- are the closest thing to '37-point quarter Klay' we've seen since that historic performance against Chicago in October.

He's made seven 3-pointers in each of the last two games, his highest single-game totals of the season other than his record night.

Over the last six games, he's averaging 27.7 points per contest on 55.2 percent shooting from the field and 54.0 percent shooting from 3-point range.

The Western Conference is loaded with backcourt players, but if Thompson keeps this up, he'll get strong consideration for an All-Star spot.

POSITIVE

Draymond Green's all-around game

Thompson stole the show on Friday night, and if you saw Draymond Green's stat line without actually watching the game, it'd be easy to overlook his performance.

Two points, seven rebounds, seven assists and a block. Nothing special, right?

Steve Kerr disagrees. Vehemently.

"I thought Draymond was tremendous," Kerr said following the victory. "I mean, that's one of the best games you'll ever see a guy play when he doesn't make a basket. He set a tone at both ends, really pushing the ball in transition, but making good decisions ... And then defensively, he was all over the place, so I loved what he did out there tonight."

As is always the case with Green, his overall contribution went so far beyond how many points he scored.

The Warriors had more than enough offense Friday night -- that much was evident from the opening minute. What they needed was someone to keep their collective foot on the gas pedal, and Green ensured they would on both ends of the court.

He had plenty of great defensive moments, but perhaps none greater than his efforts to keep Kevin Durant in the game (even though both Durant and Chicago's Bobby Portis ended up getting matching technicals within the next minute):

POSITIVE

Bench emptied

When the third quarter came to a close, Golden State held a 40-point lead. There was no need for the starters to play another second, and even that had probably been too long.

With such a bloated cushion, Kerr could empty the bench without concern, and the reserves took advantage of some rare extended playing time.

Marcus Derrickson score 10 points in playing the entire fourth frame. Quinn Cook and Jordan Bell combined for 28 points in the game on 13-of-21 shooting, and Alfonzo McKinnie hauled in a team-high eight rebounds.

No starter played more than Durant's 28:14.

The Warriors have more 20-point victories in the last two weeks (three) than they had in the previous two months combined (two). They're getting back to putting teams away early, and that means more rest for the guys that will need it most come playoff time.

[RELATED: Warriors not surprised by Jerebko's heroics: 'He's fearless']

NEGATIVE

Losing LaVine

There weren't a whole lot of negatives to glean from a 37-point victory, but that margin could have been even greater if not for some lackluster defense in the second quarter, particularly against Bulls guard Zach LaVine.

"I was disappointed in the second quarter," Kerr said. "I thought we lost our focus."

Chicago actually outscored Golden State 38-33 in the second frame, with LaVine accounting for 20 of the Bulls' points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field.

LaVine lost McKinnie on a couple possessions, but also had his way with Green and others on occasion, so it's not as if the blame fell on one man alone.

LaVine is one of the most athletic players in the entire league, so there's no shame in having difficulty staying with him. But if you're a team that prides itself on their defense -- like the Warriors do -- you never want to allow a 20-point quarter to a single individual, particularly with so few other weapons on the opposing roster.

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