NBA: Warriors rally past Bulls in Jimmy Butler’s debut

Jimmy Butler #10 and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrate after the game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on February 08, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Michael Reaves/Getty Images/AFP

Steph Curry scored 24 of his game-high 34 points after halftime and Jimmy Butler added 25 points in his team debut to boost the Golden State Warriors to a 132-111 win against the host Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

Golden State shot 57.8 percent in the second half and 50 percent in the game. The Warriors erased a 24-point third-quarter deficit and led by as many as 25 in the fourth.

Chicago managed just 42 second-half points while losing for the third time in four games. Coby White paced the Bulls with 27 points. He has scored at least 20 points in five consecutive games.

READ: NBA: Jimmy Butler plans to make Warriors debut at Bulls

The Warriors' new dynamic duo was GOLDEN in their 1st game together!

Steph: 34 PTS (24 in 3Q) | 4 REB | 6 AST | 8 3PM
Jimmy: 25 PTS | 4 AST pic.twitter.com/YSlyh2dHLN

— NBA (@NBA) February 9, 2025

Chicago surged to an 83-59 lead on a Josh Giddey trey with 8:30 left in the third quarter. Curry took control soon after, scoring 22 points during a 38-11 Warriors run to close the third. That included a pullup jumper from the foul line with 1:11 left in the quarter that gave Golden State the lead for good at 94-93.

Quinten Post added 18 points for the Warriors, Brandin Podziemski scored and Buddy Hield had 14. Gui Santos snagged eight rebounds and Kevon Looney had seven boards.

Five other Bulls scored in double figures: Matas Buzelis (16), Jalen Smith (15), Giddey (11), Ayo Dosunmu (10) and Nikola Vucevic (10).

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Golden State struggled for extended early stretches in its first game with Butler, who joined the organization this week in a trade from the Miami Heat on the heels of multiple suspensions for conduct detrimental to the team.

Looney’s cutting layup off a feed from Butler put the Warriors ahead 34-28 with 33 seconds to play in the opening quarter, but Golden State went cold after that. Chicago erupted with an 18-0 run and held the visitors without a basket until the 7:42 mark of the second quarter.

The Bulls led by as many as 17 in the first half, taking a 69-55 advantage into the break. Chicago shot 54.8 percent in the first half, rolling behind White (15 points), Smith (14) and Buzelis (13).

The Warriors have won 14 of their past 16 meetings against the Bulls, including a 25-point home win on Jan. 23.