Hutchinson: 4 takeaways after Warriors end skid with energy-fueled win

The Warriors have been reeling. Their previous two games were nightmare blowouts preceded, a couple games earlier, by a fourth-quarter collapse against the Denver Nuggets, in the worst loss of the season.

Golden State had been lacking juice. In their previous two games, they didn't look like they were interested in competing. Friday, finally, was a monumental change in that regard.

Here are four takeaways from the 140-131 win over the Chicago Bulls on the road, and click HERE to listen live to Warriors postgame.

It feels like teams smell blood in the water with Golden State and come out swinging.

To put it lightly, the Warriors' first-half defense has been atrocious over the past three games. Even if you argue that Friday's effort was better, the results weren't there.

Coby White and the Bulls absolutely torched the Warriors in the first half, but especially the second quarter.

In that second frame, the Bulls were an absurd 18-of-23 from the floor for 45 points. They ended the half 29-of-42 from the field with a 75-62 lead.

That makes three-straight games the Warriors have allowed a 40-point quarter. It's also three-straight games they've allowed a 73-plus-point first half.

White finished with 25 points (9-of-13, 5-of-7 from deep), 4 rebounds and 7 assists, with Zach LaVine adding 25 points (9-of-15), 8 rebounds and 7 assists. DeMar DeRozan led the way for Chicago with an absurd 39 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists on 15-of-21 shooting. He could not be stopped inside the arc, but the Warriors matched him late.

While the Warriors seem to have played good basketball for roughly six minutes in each of the past two games, they eventually folded like lawn chairs. They did not do so Friday.

It just felt different. It felt, tangibly, like the Warriors were committed to avoiding another embarrassment.

After yet another brutal first half on the defensive end, Klay Thompson got things going from the outset of the third.

He hit back-to-back 3s to open the half, necessitating a quick timeout from Billy Donovan. After the timeout, Thompson drove, pumped, and picked up a foul from the red-hot Coby White for a trip to the line.

A couple baskets and a couple stops later, Thompson hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit — 13 points at halftime — to two points. After a DeRoizan and-one, Thompson responded with another 3-pointer.

Thompson had 17 points in that third quarter.

And he was moving the ball, too. He had three of his 6 assists in that third quarter.

But he wasn't done in the third. He hit a monumentally important 3-pointer in the fourth after a timeout inside three minutes.

That increased the Warriors' lead from four to seven. A few possessions later, Thompson drove to the rim for a score to maintain a buffer.

He was stellar, finishing with 30 points (9-of-19, 7-of-15 from 3-pt) with 6 rebounds, 6 assists, a steal and a block.

As a team, the Warriors looked like they're supposed to in that third. That flow was back.

They were facilitating the ball without turning it over. By the conclusion of the third, they had 19 points off of turnovers. The Bulls had three, off of just three Warriors turnovers.

Thompson and Dario Saric each had five assists heading into the fourth. Andrew Wiggins (more on him below) had six. Stephen Curry had nine.

Just how good was that third quarter for Golden State? They outscored the Bulls 48-20. That's their highest-scoring quarter of the season.

But the Bulls weren't done. They kept coming in the fourth and made things uneasy.

To the Warriors' relief, Curry, who, at one point, was 3-of-17 from the floor, came through in the fourth. He had a great game as a facilitator, but he offered the clutch scoring Golden State just had to have in that fourth.

He had 12 points before the fourth, then finished with 27 (8-of-24, 6-of-15 from 3-pt), with 5 rebounds, 9 assists, a steal and a turnover.

On that last point — turnovers — Curry was key in the Warriors moving the ball efficiently. They had 39 assists and a season-low five turnovers. Five. Their previous low was eight turnovers. They woke up Friday.

It's hard to understate how poor Andrew Wiggins had been before this game. In his prior three games, he had 11 combined points... just shy of his career-low season average of 11.7 points per game. He wasn't offering much otherwise, with 6 rebounds and 5 assists over the three-game stretch.

More than anything, he looked disinterested, like the game was not receiving his full attention. We've seen that in the past, but it's looked different this season.

Friday, though, was a revelation.

It was like someone reminded Wiggins, 'Hey, buddy, you're actually extraordinarily good at the sport of basketball.' His effort was crucial.

He fought, and executed. His ability to secure rebounds, facilitate and score were all manifestations of his effort. He finished with 17 points (8-of-13, 1-of-5 from deep), 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals.

Those are the most points for him since the Christmas Day loss to the Nuggets, but it's those assists that are the story for him.

His 8 assists are double his season-high of four... and the most Wiggins has had in a game since 2020 (he had more than 8 assists five times that year). It is just the seventh time in his career Wiggins has had 8 or more assists.

Oh, and that cursed Wiggins-Kuminga pairing that Steve Kerr said he wasn't likely to return to? That was back Friday night, and to positive results.

On two-straight scores in the third, Wiggins found Kuminga — first for a corner 3, then for a mid-range jumper. Kuminga really got rolling in the third quarter, with those Wiggins assists.

After those Wiggins-fed scores, and a pair of free throws from Curry, Kuminga earned his own trips to the line on consecutive possessions. His effort in that stretch was relentless.

He matched the energy that Thompson sparked in the third, and was crucial off the bench. He finished with a ruthlessly efficient 24 points (9-of-12, 4-of-4 from deep), 5 rebounds, an assist and a steal.

The Bulls had an extended halftime Friday night as they inducted multiple people into their inaugural ring of honor class.

It included the 1995-96 team and Artis Gilmore, Phil Jackson, Johnny “Red” Kerr, Dick Klein, Jerry Krause, Bob Love, Scottie Pippen, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker and Tex Winter.

During the halftime proceedings, in which Steve Kerr was honored, Bulls fans booed at the naming of Jerry Krause, the much-maligned general manager who eventually broke up the dynasty.

But Krause passed away in 2017. His widow, Thelma, appeared in his place as the crowd booed. It's hard to think of something more classless.

Former player and current broadcaster for the Bulls, Stacey King, said it best, sayin that those booing fans, "should be ashamed of themselves."