Warriors end Bulls' six-game winning streak

All-star snubs were a concern of the Bulls this week, but they lost sight of an opponent which may have had something to prove.

Golden State guard Monta Ellis, the highest-scoring player not selected for the NBA All-Star Game, ignited a stunning turnaround in the second half of Saturday's game in Oakland, Calif.

The Bulls seemed to have the game headed in their favor when they opened the third quarter with an 18-5 run and built a 12-point lead.

But the Warriors dominated the final 18 minutes and won going away 101-90 at Oracle Arena, snapping the Bulls' six-game winning streak.

The Bulls (33-15) hadn't been beaten by more than 8 points since Dec. 3 at Boston. The Warriors (22-27) lost to the Bulls by 30 points at the United Center on Nov. 11.

Ellis finished the third quarter with a lay-in off an inbounds pass to put Golden State up 73-72, then scored his team's first 8 points of the fourth quarter.

After Carlos Boozer's jumper brought the Bulls within 75-74 just over a minute into the fourth quarter, the Bulls couldn't score for the next six minutes. Ellis and Stephon Curry led the Warriors on a 14-0 run and took an 89-74 advantage on an Ellis jumper with 5:49 remaining.

Golden State committed to sending two defenders at Rose nearly every time he had the ball, which led to a quiet night and heavy turnovers for the Bulls' top scorer.

Getting to the foul line wasn't one of the Bulls' strengths in this game. Their first free-throw attempt didn't arrive until there was 1:34 left in the first half.

Early in the third quarter, Warriors forward David Lee was called for a flagrant foul for hitting Boozer in the face on a layup attempt. But Boozer missed both free throws.

This was the first game for the Bulls since they learned Rose will be flying solo at the NBA All-Star Game, barring an injury substitution.

No Bulls were selected as Eastern Conference reserves, even though they are keeping pace with Boston, which had four players chosen, and Miami, which will send three to Dallas on Feb. 20.

“I thought it was unfortunate for our guys,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said, according to espn.com. “I thought Luol (Deng) and Carlos were deserving. I thought Jo (Noah) was on that path until he got hurt, but I'm not really concerned about stuff like that because that stuff, you really have no control over. In our eyes, they're all-stars.”

Boozer was an all-star when he played for Utah, while Deng and Noah have never been chosen.

“I didn't come here for all-star games,” Boozer said. “I came here for championships. I want to win some rings. For me, I'm not concerned what everybody else thinks about us. I'm concerned about what we think about each other.”