Hard to figure, but Bulls still great against the best
The roster has changed quite a bit, but the Bulls are experiencing the same issue as last year - they play to the level of competition.
The Bulls are the only team in the NBA with a winning record against good teams (15-13) and a losing record against sub-. 500 opponents (16-17), according to ESPN.
At home, the difference is even greater. After beating Golden State on Thursday, the Bulls are 10-3 at the United Center against teams with winning records and 9-9 against teams with losing records.
While winning five of their last six, the Bulls beat Toronto, Boston, Cleveland and Golden State, while losing to Denver and barely surviving against Phoenix.
"We can't go back and change anything," Dwyane Wade said after Thursday's game. "We just have to focus on now. We've won five of our last six. We have to keep up this fighting mentality we have."
The Bulls have more tough home games coming up, with Houston, Memphis, Utah and Cleveland visiting this month,
Kerr rues turnovers:
Golden State coach Steve Kerr was throwing up Thursday morning and missed the Warriors' morning shootaround because he wasn't feeling well.
Somehow, he managed to avoid a relapse after watching his team set season-lows in points (87) and field-goal percentage (.386) in a loss to the Bulls. Golden State lost consecutive regular season games for the first time since April 2005.
"You are not always going to shoot well," Kerr said after the game. "When that happens, the ball is gold, You have to value each possession. Our intensity and focus was not there. We didn't protect the ball, we didn't go after it."
Portis goes long:
After producing 17 points and 13 rebounds against Golden State, Bobby Portis talked about his 3-point shooting.
"I've been shooting threes my whole life, but I'm finally starting to make them at a higher rate now," he said. "It's kind of cool to do that. That's something I have to do for the team, space the floor and shoot the ball. Jimmy (Butler) always gets mad at me when I don't shoot the ball, so I shoot it now."