Takeaways & Player Grades: Golden State Warriors Hand Chicago Bulls Seventh Straight Loss, 123-91

As the final minutes ticked off the clock at the United Center, the crowd had already filed out.

The Chicago Bulls were about to lock up their seventh consecutive loss in a game where they were down double digits for nearly the entire time. Even with the upper hand in the rest department, the Golden State Warriors completely embarrassed them. Particularly with two of their organizational cornerstones off the floor, the lopsided win spoke to the continued difference between the two franchises.

There is a clear standard and set of non-negotiables for Golden State. The same simply can not be said for Chicago.

Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors against the Chicago Bulls — Dec 7, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reacts during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Three Takeaways

Warriors Make It Rain

Stephen Curry wasn't on the court Sunday night, but you would have never guessed it in the first half. Golden State came out firing from behind the arc. Buddy Hield splashed a three before stretch-five Quinten Post drained back-to-back triples of his own. Then, a Matas Buzelis turnover led to a Pat Spencer layup that made it 11-2. Billy Donovan called for the timeout less than 2 minutes into the game.

Whatever was said during the break must have gone in one ear and out the other. Golden State's hot shooting only continued throughout the first half, resulting in an 8-13 shooting display from deep. This tied their second-most threes made in a single quarter this season, and it also led to a concerning 38-25 advantage.

The first quarter set the tone for the rest of the night. Their cushion remained plenty fluffy as the game went on, with Chicago continuing to look completely out of sorts on both ends of the floor. Golden State finished the night 22-47 from downtown. They outscored Chicago by 33 points from long range.

Rest Advantage Doesn't Matter

The Golden State Warriors were on the court in Cleveland less than 24 hours prior. They played a heated game with the Cavaliers, pulling off the slim 99-94 victory. The Chicago Bulls should have had fresher legs. They should have looked like the more desperate team, especially with six losses in a row. The opposite happened.

Not only did the more polished Warriors dominate with wide-open threes, but they also capitalized on both the offensive glass and in transition. They held a 23-14 victory in the second-chance points department, as well as put up three more points than Chicago in the fastbreak. Overall, they outrebounded the Bulls a ridiculous 62-48.

All things considered, it's completely unacceptable for the Bulls to finish behind in each and every one of these categories. What a night like this goes to show is that the confidence and motivation level of this group is at an all-time low. They look lost. And, worst of all, they do not look particularly eager to find their way back home.

Worst Scoring Night of the Year

Speaking of which, few things might speak more to the mental gymnastics going on behind the scenes than Chicago's offensive output. This is a team that is built to be pretty darn capable on that side of the ball, but they have now scored 105 points or fewer in four of the last five games.

Tonight was a new low. They shot a season-worst 36.0 percent from the field and scored a season-low 91 points. It was the first time they failed to score 100+ points this year. The offense has also dished 24 or fewer assists in four of its last five contests. Prior to that, the Bulls were averaging nearly 30 dimes a night.

What this speaks to is a lack of trust and identity, which is downright mind-boggling considering those two factors were essential to their 6-1 start to the year. Few teams looked more connected and bought in on that end of the court than the Chicago Bulls. Crazy.

Six Chicago Bulls Player Grades

Matas Buzelis – B
Stats: 16 PTS, 3 REB, 3 STL, 1 AST

Matas Buzelis continued to look like one of the more aggressive Bulls tonight, and he shot a very solid 7-12 from the field. The second-year forward also deserves credit for taking a tough shot to the face and remaining in the game. Nevertheless, he failed to get to the free-throw line at all, and his 3 rebounds weren't enough against this meh Warriors frontcourt.

Dalen Terry – B-
Stats: 4 PTS, 3 AST, 3 REB, 2 STL

To be honest, Dalen Terry deserves more playing time. He looks like one of the few Bulls playing with a sense of urgency on both ends. He may not be all that polished in any one department, but his sheer energy is something this group needs on the floor.

Josh Giddey – C
Stats: 18 PTS, 5 AST, 3 REB, 2 BLK

Josh Giddey was able to knock down three buckets from long range, but he only shot 6-15 overall and tied a team-high with four turnovers. I commend him for staying out there for 35 minutes, though, despite the Bulls' spiral.

Coby White – D+
Stats: 12 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST

Coby White turned the ball over four times and shot 3-10 from the field. While he continued his trend of getting to the free throw line with a 6-7 (don't tell the youth) showing, he wasn't the scorer the Bulls needed tonight, especially as Golden State piled on the three-pointers.

Nikola Vucevic – D
Stats: 9 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST

Against Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis, Nikola Vucevic was a complete non-factor. As we've said after the past couple of games, the big man looks completely checked out. He shot 4-13 from the field and played only 24 minutes of action. The Bulls should be finding him a better place to play ASAP.