Warriors beat Bulls behind 48-point quarter, Klay Thompson’s hot hand

Golden State Warriors overcome poor defensive half to beat Chicago Bulls

CHICAGO — Klay Thompson’s 30-point game powered the Warriors to a 140-131 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday at United Center.

The win, just Golden State’s third in their last nine games, started in an ugly way.

The Warriors allowed 75 points in the first half with the Bulls shooting 61.9% from 3. It was the fourth time in the last five games the Warriors allowed more than 70 points in a half as the Draymond Green-less defense continues to show cracks.

The Warriors answered back with a 48-point third quarter, their highest-scoring quarter of the season. Thompson went 5-for-5 from 3-point range to help finish the quarter with 17 points.

The Bulls nearly erased a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Steph Curry turned a slow night into a 27-point night, as he made six 3-pointers with nine assists. Thompson shot 9-of-19 from the field and 7-of-15 from 3.

Jonathan Kuminga put up 24 points shooting 9-of-12 from the field and made all four of his 3s.

The Warriors continue this road trip on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks before heading to Memphis for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee against the Grizzlies. The road trip ends against the Utah Jazz.