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Bulls can't cool off Golden State

Even with Derrick Rose sidelined for a second time with a left ankle sprain, the Bulls nearly won the point guard matchup late Friday night at Golden State.

Bulls starter Kirk Hinrich brought the energy early and scored 17 points overall.

It took Golden State guard Steph Curry, the NBA's leading scorer, a little while to get going, but he some sank big shots in the fourth quarter to give the Warriors a 106-94 victory over the Bulls at Oracle Arena.

The victory improved Golden State's record to 14-0, matching the best start by a defending NBA champ, set by the Boston Celtics in 1957-58. Another victory on Sunday against Denver would equal the best start in league history.

The Bulls built an early 11-point advantage but it didn't last long. Neither side led by more than 6 points in the second half until the final two minutes.

Golden State's go-ahead basket was a 3-pointer by Curry, which broke an 89-89 tie with 5:26 left.

Curry missed a 3-point attempt earlier in the possession, but the Bulls couldn't corral the long rebound and Curry didn't miss with his second chance.

After two scoreless minutes, a cutting layin by Curry put the Warriors ahead by 5. The Bulls remained within striking distance with a jumper and free throw by Jimmy Butler, but Golden State put it away when Harrison Barnes - Doug McDermott's high school teammate - knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to make it 102-92 with 41 seconds left.

Butler led the Bulls with 26 points, while Nikola Mirotic produced 18 points and 10 rebounds. Curry finished with 26 points, while Barnes had 20.

Curry started the night averaging 34.2 points, while shooting 52 percent from the field. Rose said at shootaround he felt Curry is "pushing the entire league" with his stellar play.

Rose decided early in the day he wasn't ready to return from a sprained left ankle. Rose has now missed two games since the injury occurred in the fourth quarter of Monday's win over Indiana.

"Not yet," Rose told reporters at Friday's shootaround, according to espn.com. "Of course I would love to play in it, but I've got to be smart about what I have going on and deal with the reality."

The Bulls will have three days off before reaching their third stop on the circus road trip on Tuesday in Portland. Rose is hopeful he might be back by then.

"I've got a couple days really to move around; really test it before I get back out there on the court," Rose said. "I feel like my body's a little bit different where if I'm not close to 100 percent, I overthink a lot of things and overcompensate on a lot of things, but it comes along with just my body type."

With Rose sidelined, the Bulls tried some unexpected defensive matchups at the start of the contest. While Hinrich guarded Curry, defensive stopper Butler took on power forward Draymond Green, with Tony Snell on Klay Thompson. Butler switched onto Curry at times later in the first half.

The Bulls had a rest advantage, since Golden State played the Clippers in Los Angeles on Thursday and stayed perfect with a 124-117 victory after trailing by as many as 23 points.

The Warriors have a 25-game regular-season home wining streak. The last visiting team to win a regular-season game at Oracle Arena was the Bulls, 113-111 in overtime last season on Jan. 27.

Get the latest Bulls news via Twitter by following @McGrawDHBulls.

Golden State guard Shaun Livingston shoots over Chicago Bulls forward Tony Snell during the first half of Friday's game in Oakland. Associated Press
Golden State guard Stephen Curry dribbles around Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich on Friday night in Oakland. Associated Press
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