CHICAGO — It took a few minutes to get in gear, but the Golden State Warriors eventually did and rolled to a 125-94 win against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night at the United Center.
Stephen Curry had 25 points, Klay Thompson had 20 and Harrison Barnes finished with 19 to lead the Warriors (39-4), who got double-figures bench scoring from Andre Iguodala (10 points), Leandro Barbosa (12 points) and Shaun Livingston (12 points).
Derrick Rose led all scorers with 29 points and Jimmy Butler added 23 points for the Bulls (24-17), who were swept by Golden State in the two-game season series. Chicago got double-figures scoring off the bench from rookie forward Bobby Portis (16 points) and guard E’Twaun Moore (13 points).
The Warriors trailed through the game’s first four minutes, but unfurled an 11-4 run to seize the lead and never trailed again.
Rose hit five of his first six shots and scored 10 of the Bulls’ first 12 points to start the game. Golden State, however, took advantage of Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg’s decision to sit Rose with 6:12 left in the first.
Without Rose on the floor, the Warriors outscored the Bulls 21-6 the rest of the quarter to lead 34-18 starting the second. Curry, who played all 12 minutes in the first, led the way with 10 points and six assists.
Golden State, which got points from all 13 players who dressed, continued its dominance in the second. The Warriors used their advantage in scoring depth to push the lead to 63-44 at halftime, despite Rose running his point total to 21 on 10-of-15 shooting.
Rose’s hit night wasn’t nearly enough, and Butler got it going too late.
Butler scored 10 points in a 12-4 run to start the third, pulling Chicago within 67-56 with 6:13 left in the quarter, but Warriors responded with five straight points to spark a 17-5 run.
Barnes and Curry hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the surge, and Curry put an exclamation point on the quarter with a dunk to complete the scoring.
NOTES: The Bulls played their second game since losing C Joakim Noah for the season with a separated shoulder. Noah, who underwent surgery Tuesday in New York, is expected to rejoin the team soon to begin his rehab work. … Chicago also played without G Kirk Hinrich (left quad contusion). Hinrich’s defense against Warriors G Stehpen Curry, the NBA’s reigning MVP, was missed. In the Bulls’ first game against the Warriors, a 106-94 loss on Nov. 21 in Oakland, Hinrich helped hold Curry to 27 points, three below his average. … Golden State interim coach Luke Walton said head coach Steve Kerr is getting more involved in preparing for each game. Kerr, who took a leave of absence to recover from two back surgeries, is on road trip. His return is still in question. “I don’t anticipate it,” Walton said. “I hope that it happens soon, but me and the rest of our staff have to keep preparing like it’s not going to happen, just so we’re ready to do our jobs. But we are hopeful that he’ll be back soon.”