Curry leads Warriors to 99-91 win over Bulls

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Player of the game: Stephen Curry was a model of efficiency against the Bulls, scoring 21 points on just 12 field goal attempts. Curry finished with 10 assists and seven rebounds, but left the game midway through the fourth quarter after tweaking his right ankle for the second time in three games.He is listed as day-to-day.I thought he was great, Warriors coach Mark Jackson said of Curry. I thought he did an outstanding job responding to the criticsthe critics who were 100 percent right to critique him in the first place. Great players bounce back and he certainly did that.

Curry went just 2-for-12 from the floor and committed five turnovers in the Warriors season-opening loss to the Clippers on Sunday night.Key stretch: The Warriors established control midway through the first quarter, turning a 16-16 tie into a 46-27 advantage. The Warriors did it at the defensive end, controlling Derrick Rose and turning Chicago over numerous times.The Warriors made that lead hold up for the entire game, and it provided them a buffer when the Bulls made a run in the fourth quarter.No. 1 for Jackson: It was career victory No. 1 for Mark Jackson on Monday night.I talked to the guys afterwards, Jackson said. It means something because I dreamed of this moment. I told the guys though that I didnt see the fellows in uniform. But I thank God it was them. Because of their commitment, their focus, their dedication. Im proud of that group. This win is theirs.
Defensive improvement: After allowing 64 second-half points to the Clippers on Sunday, the Warriors had a stellar defensive first half against the Bullsand not a bad second half, either.Golden State forced the Bulls into 14 first-half turnovers, leading to 16 points, and it all went toward helping the Warriors lead 57-41 at the half.RELATED: CSNChicago.com -- Turnovers crush Bulls in Oakland
The Bulls shot a respectable percentage through 24 minutes46.2 percentbut they simply gave away too many possessions. Rose struggles: For the second year in a row, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose had a subpar game at Oracle. Last season, Rose had just 14 pointson 6-for-15 shootingand nine turnovers as the Warriors beat the Bulls 101-90.On Monday, Rose had just 13 points on 4-for-17 from the field.Ellis bounce-back: After suffering through a 6-for-19 shooting night against the Clippers on Sunday, Monta Ellis turned things around immediately against Chicago. Ellis almost singlehandedly got the Warriors off to a nice start, scoring 13 points in the first quarter as Golden State took a 30-22 lead.Ellis finished with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-17 from the field, and when Curry left the game midway through the fourth because of an ankle tweak, Ellis carried most of the offensive load.Tight beginning: The game was very close for more than half of the first quarter. In fact the game was tied at 2-2, 4-4, 6-6, 8-8, 10-10, 12-12, 14-14 and 16-16 before Warriors ripped off six straight to go up 22-16.

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