Consistency had been the name of the game for the Golden State Warriors during the regular season, with the team carrying a streak of 146 games without consecutive losses into the United Center against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.
But all good things come to an end, and with a 94-87 loss to Chicago, the Warriors have now dropped back-to-back games for the first time since 2015, when they fell to the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans on April 5 and 7, respectively.
It was on Tuesday at the Verizon Center when Golden State had its four-game winning streak snapped by the Washington Wizards - a loss made more painful after four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant left the court with a Grade 2 MCL sprain and tibial bone bruise.
Related: With Durant hurt, Warriors need Curry to return to MVP form
Without Durant in the lineup, the Warriors put up a season low in points against the Bulls, converting a putrid 38.6 percent of their field-goal attempts, and just 6-of-30 from 3-point range.
It was also just the third time all season Golden State failed to score at least 100 points, and just like the other two instances against the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies, they couldn't pull out a victory.
Stephen Curry led the way with 23 points, although his shot continued to fail him, with 10 makes on 27 attempts. His two 3-pointers, however, moved him past Kobe Bryant for 11th place on the NBA's all-time 3-pointers made list.
To avoid losing three games in a row for the first time since Nov. 20-23, 2013, the Warriors will need to put away the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
