Golden State blows late lead in frustrating overtime loss

Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News on Mar 11, 2026

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SAN FRANCISCO – Unlike the teams below them in the Western Conference standings, the Warriors are actually trying to win basketball games. But just like those teams at the bottom of the conference, the Warriors’ ability to indeed triumph on the court has been limited as of late.

Coming off a baffling loss at a Jazz team trying to stack losses on Monday, the Warriors returned to Chase Center on Tuesday and lost 130-124 in overtime to a horrendous Bulls outfit with only eight active players.

The Warriors (32-33) fell below .500.

The Warriors led 115-107 with 90 seconds left, but let the Bulls score seven unanswered to make things interesting at the end. Two-way player Cryer cashed in both free throws with 10 seconds remaining to give the Warriors a 117-14 lead, and then split a pair with eight seconds on the clock after the Bulls made two foul shots.

Draymond Green then committed a head-scratching foul on Jalen Smith while up by two with 1.4 seconds remaining. Smith made both and sent the game to overtime. The Bulls scored the first four points in the extra period and kept the Warriors at bay the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, Steph Curry (runner’s knee), De’Anthony Melton (left adductor soreness) and Quinten Post (foot soreness) were the most notable absences for a Warriors side coming off a disappointing 119-116 loss at Utah the night before.

The Warriors fell to 5-10 since Curry departed with his knee injury.

Spencer scored 17 and dished out six assists in 26 minutes off the bench, while Al Horford and Gui Santos combined for 30 points. Gary Payton II had 12 points and 11 rebounds, while LJ Cryer threw in 16 off the bench. Matas Buzelis led all scorers with 41 points for the Bulls, and Josh Giddey had a 20-point, 17-assist, 13-rebound triple-double.

The Bulls enjoyed a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter before a 19-2 run led by Spencer gave the Warriors a five-point lead with three minutes remaining in the game. But it would not be enough.

The Warriors face Minnesota in Chase Center on Friday, and then embark on a six-game road trip starting in New York on Sunday.

Offensive philosophy

The Warriors chucked up 52 3-pointers (and made just 16) on Monday in Utah, a puzzlingly high number considering the Jazz’s interior defense generally provides as much resistance as a sleepy puppy.

But instead of changing their approach against the shorthanded Bulls, the skeleton crew Warriors decided to double down on the long ball. Golden State made just 20 of 54 3-pointers.

Kristaps Porzingis plays third game

Porzingis bemoaned during his last appearance that his jump shot was still rusty after he missed almost two weeks with an illness.

It took him all of two minutes in the first quarter to show that Porzingis was able to shake off the rust.

He banged in his first 3-pointer on a pick-and-pop, canned a midrange faceup jumper from the elbow, and then knocked down two free throws on back-to-back-to-back possessions midway through the first.

The rest of the first half was not as kind to the Latvian big man as he missed his next five shots. Porzingis bounced back after that tough stretch, though, finishing the night with 17 points and four blocks.

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