Unbeaten Warriors get closer to NBA record: 'It's a goal that's right here and right now'

Sam Amick | USA TODAY Sports

OAKLAND — Of course the Golden State Warriors want to dominate their way into the NBA record books and have the best start in the 69-year history of the league.

They just didn't admit it until Friday night, when a 106-94 win against the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls (8-4) improved their record to 14-0 and brought them within one victory of tying the all-time mark that was set by both the 1948-49 Washington Capitals and the 1993-94 Houston Rockets.

"It's a goal that's right here and now, and that's something that we want to experience," Warriors star Stephen Curry said after finishing with 27 points. "It would be a huge accomplishment, because obviously doing something that hasn't been done in the history of the league is special, but you never know if this opportunity will come back again.

"There's so many variables that go into winning this many in a row, especially at the start of the season. So we want to accomplish that, since we're here."

By downing the Bulls, the Warriors tied 1957-58 Boston Celtics for best start in league history by a defending champion. Next up is a game at the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, followed by a home game against the Lakers on Tuesday, which could see them break the record A few takeaways from Golden State's latest win:

– As was the case in their 23-point comeback win over the Clippers on Thursday night, the Warriors' small-ball lineup destroyed the opponent late (they finished on a 17-5 run after being tied 89-89 with 5:43 to go). When Curry (who is 6-3) shares the floor with Klay Thompson (6-7), Harrison Barnes (6-8), Andre Iguodala (6-6) and Draymond Green (6-7), the latest Warriors victim might as well put up the white flag.

That unit (which has played together for a combined 54 minutes this season) has an unreal offensive rating of 157 points scored per 100 possessions and an equally-impressive defensive rating of 88.9 (a 68.1 point differential per 100). The second-most effective lineup, by that measure? Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Green, and Festus Ezeli (58 minutes played together combined), with a differential of a mere 24.3 (118.6 points scored per 100 possessions on offense, 94.3 points allowed per 100 on defense).

In essence, just picture five velociraptors in blue and gold jerseys who can create for their teammates, shoot and defend with the kind of speed and length that turns opponents into mincemeat. As interim coach Luke Walton noted afterward, this is one heck of a secret weapon to have at one's disposal when a game is close down the stretch.

"If we have a chance to try and throw a knockout punch, that's going to be the lineup we try and do it with," he said.

As Curry detailed, the lineup is nothing short of devastating for a variety of reasons.

"Being able to rotate quickly on the defensive end, (and) you've got to have heart to overcome size differentials in the paint, rebound the basketball," the reigning MVP said. "And then we know that once we get stops, it's hard to stop us in transition – and even in the half-court offense with that lineup.

"There's a lot of weapons. Everybody can make plays. (All five guys can) not only shoot, but if you don't have a shot, put it on the floor, get it to the next guy. We have a good chemistry with that five-man group."

Nonetheless, Walton didn't sound as if he was about to go to this particular small-ball group any more in the future than he has to this point. His concern, naturally, is that the fatigue factor would play a damaging part.

"Going small for too long doesn't work, because it takes so much energy to guard bigger players," Walton said. "So Harrison and Draymond would get tired, and eventually it would catch up with us."

– The Warriors extended their franchise-best home winning streak to 26 games, and earned revenge in the process. Their last loss at Oracle came on Jan. 27 to – you guessed it – the Bulls (113-111 in overtime). At the time, the loss snapped the Warriors' then-franchise-record home winning streak at 19.

– From the nitpicking department, Curry's recent penchant for turnovers continued. He had six in all, giving him an average of 5.2 per in the last nine games after he had averaged just 1.6 in the first five games of the season. And because of Curry's longstanding agreement with his mother, Sonya, that he'd pay her $100 for every turnover beyond the third, it's a costly development: the final tab for this regular season stands at $1,900.

"I'm not worried about (it), besides the bill (to his mother)," Curry joked. "Going forward, I'll be able to clean that up. It's just sometimes you get a little excited when you play, and you've just got to be smart. I won't play differently. I'll just make better decisions."

– Head coach Steve Kerr continues to be sidelined by complications from his offseason back surgeries, and general manager Bob Myers told USA TODAY Sports he still has no clarity as to when Kerr will return. But Kerr remains very involved with the team, having spent time with the players and coaches at shootaround in Los Angeles on Thursday morning and attending Friday night's game.

While Walton is doing a great job of filling in, NBA rules dictate (silly though it might seem) that Kerr gets credit for all of these wins. As such, his combined record since being hired two summers ago is now an eye-opening 97-20 (regular season and playoffs).

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