Down six at the end of last quarter, the Golden State Warriors have now snagged the lead. They currently hold a 51-45 lead over the Chicago Bulls. Golden State’s offense has come from several players so far.
The Warriors and Chicago came into this matchup with previous-game wins. We’ll see if Golden State can maintain their lead to polish off another win and cancel out Chicago’s positive energy.
Who’s Playing
Chicago @ Golden State
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Current Records: Chicago 8-3; Golden State 10-1
What to Know
After a three-game homestand, the Chicago Bulls will be on the road. They will square off against the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET on Friday at Chase Center. The Bulls have some work to do to even out the 1-11 series between these two since November of 2015, but a win here would be a good start.
The Dallas Mavericks typically have all the answers at home, but on Wednesday Chicago proved too difficult a challenge. Chicago was able to grind out a solid win over the Mavericks, winning 117-107. Chicago got their victory on the backs of several key players, and it was point guard Lonzo Ball out in front shooting 7-for-10 from beyond the arc and finishing with 21 points, six assists and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, while not quite a landslide, the matchup between Golden State and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday was still a pretty decisive one as Golden State wrapped it up with a 123-110 victory at home. Small forward Andrew Wiggins was the offensive standout of the contest for the Warriors, picking up 35 points.
The Bulls are expected to lose this next one by 5.5. However, those who like betting on the underdog should be happy to hear that they are 2-0 against the spread when expected to lose.
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Chicago is now 8-3 while Golden State sits at 10-1. A couple defensive numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: Chicago comes into the game boasting the third fewest points allowed per game in the league at 102.4. As for the Warriors, they have been holding their opponents to a field goal percentage of 42%, which places them first in the league.
How To Watch
When: Friday at 10 p.m. ET
Where: Chase Center — San Francisco, California
TV: ESPN
Online streaming:fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
So far in the new year, the Thunder are first in offensive rating, first in net rating, first in points per game, first in three-point percentage, and have the sixth-best record since New Year’s Day.
Yes, they are currently the 12th team in their conference but they are just one game back from being qualified for the play-in tournament.
This last month has been spectacular for OKC.
They have beaten the likes of the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and others.
Their latest victory came on Saturday night when they decimated the Houston Rockets, 153-121.
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The importance and power of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cannot be stressed enough, he has been leading the team in multiple ways.
So far this season, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 31 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists.
On Saturday night, he had yet another stunning game with his 42 points.
Of course, he has been getting a lot of serious help from Josh Giddey (16.2 points, 8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists), Lugentz Dort (14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists), Jalen Williams, and others.
The Thunder have a packed week ahead, facing off against the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, and New Orleans Pelicans.
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Can their impressive January lead to an impressive February too?
From 2011 to 2019, the San Diego Padres had a losing record every single year, with no exception.
But around the end of last decade, you could already tell that the Padres, after their long rebuild in which they had no direction or purpose, were starting to do things the right way.
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They hired the right people to lead the baseball department, they dramatically improved their farm system, and they started spending like a team that wants to compete.
Since 2020, they have been very competitive.
They made the playoffs that year but fell in the first round.
They missed the postseason in 2021 but were in contention for much of the year, and made it again last year and reached the NL Championship Series.
They are getting closer and closer to the first World Series title in franchise history.
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As you probably can imagine, interest from fans just wasn’t there in the middle of last decade.
They had been losing for years, and they would lose for a few more.
Now, fans are very much involved and engaged in everything that has to do with the franchise.
We can see a notable difference in fanfest attendance.
Some people have criticized fans for being there during the good times.
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An MLB analyst, however, is downplaying that notion and pointing out to the logical fact that when there is interest by the ownership, there will be interest from fans because the on-field product will be attractive.
“Some folks will say bandwagon. I’m gonna go with, this is what happens when you have an owner who is all in. The past few years, there’s never been a question of whether or not the Padres have been all in on winning a championship,” Jared Carrabis tweeted.
Some folks will say bandwagon. I’m gonna go with, this is what happens when you have an owner who is all in. The past few years, there’s never been a question of whether or not the Padres have been all in on winning a championship. https://t.co/uCGcDMca5L
Unfortunately, he struggled mightily in 2022, hitting just .196 and missing nearly 30 games due to injuries.
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Still, he managed to hit 21 home runs during the regular season and help the Dodgers win a franchise record and MLB-best 111 games.
Now, he prepares for his sixth season in Dodger Blue.
We are now just one week away from pitchers and catchers officially reporting to spring training.
This afternoon, Muncy stopped by MLB Network and had a chat with Alanna Rizzo, where he discussed his offseason training regimen and his health heading into 2023.
Max Muncy is gearing up for Year 6 at Chavez Ravine.
The two-time All-Star discussed his familiarity with the third base position, a position he’ll be seeing much more of with Justin Turner now departed.
Muncy said that he believes he’s much more familiar with the position now and feels like its an easier position to play if done so consistently as opposed to once a week.
The veteran slugger believes that he made several important strides at the position and is prepared to make more improvements in 2023.
He also discussed how injuries have bogged him down over the past few seasons and provided an update on his health as the 2023 season approaches.
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Muncy discussed his elbow injury at the end of the 2021 season and how it carried over into 2022.
He expressed his frustration over having to continue making adjustments with it in order for his swing to be where it needed to be.
However, he stated that he feels healthy and that the elbow is back to 100%.