Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Two teams with championship aspirations but without winning records entering December go head-to-head Friday night when the Chicago Bulls travel to take on the Golden State Warriors.

As has often been the case this season, the teams enter the game off a loss, with the Bulls having been drubbed 132-113 on the road by the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, one night after the Warriors completed a two-game trip with a 116-113 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Golden State will take an 11-11 record to the floor, having been no more than one game over .500 all season. Currently 9-12, Chicago hasn't seen the north side of the break-even mark in exactly a month.

Each nonetheless has reason for optimism.

Most of the Warriors' issues this season have come on the road, where they lost eight straight before taking two of the last four.

There have been no such issues at home, where Golden State has an eight-game winning streak and a 9-1 season record that ranks among the league's best.

Excited by the contribution of his bench in Tuesday's loss, coach Steve Kerr insists he's happy with the current state of his team, even after the narrow defeat in Dallas.

"We're in a really good spot," he said after the loss. "We have kind of rounded into form. Our bench has an identity."

The Warriors' last four home games have been particularly impressive. They've beaten the San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz by an average of 18.8 points, putting up 124.0 points per win.

The Bulls, meanwhile, flew into San Francisco on the heels of having allowed an average of 118.8 points over their first four efforts on a six-game trip. They did manage to split those games, however, including a win at Milwaukee that followed a home victory over the Boston Celtics.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan isn't pleased at all about the ups and downs of a club good enough to handle the Celtics and win at Milwaukee in consecutive outings but then bad enough to lose at Oklahoma City two nights later.

"We're consistently being inconsistent," he said Wednesday in Phoenix. "At times we compete like two different teams. We can beat a team like in Utah (on Monday) that's really helping each other and we're kind of on a string and we're moving. Other times we're not like that."

One issue the Bulls have encountered has been relatively poor 3-point shooting. Their 4-for-25 nightmare against the Suns made them 10-for-47 in their last two games.

The Warriors, on the other hand, made a total of 40 3-pointers in wins over Utah and Minnesota before going 11-for-43 in Dallas.

The discrepancy is best represented in the numbers put up by the clubs' respective stars.

Golden State's Stephen Curry leads the NBA in 3-pointers with 103, having been successful at a high rate (43.6 percent).

Chicago's Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, meanwhile, have combined to make 58 at a 34.1-percent clip.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Timberwolves chew up Nuggets to force Game 7
Rangers secure spot in conference finals after stunning third-period comeback over Hurricanes
Xander Schauffele makes history in first round of PGA Championship
Yankees' Hal Steinbrenner shares massive Juan Soto contract update
Steelers' Cameron Heyward addresses contract holdout
Knicks star ruled out for potential closeout game
Dodgers starter undergoes season-ending UCL surgery
Clemson’s Dabo Swinney gives smug response about not using transfer portal
Caitlin Clark's debut was most-watched WNBA game in more than 20 years
Watch: Chris Kreider's natural third-period hat trick shatters Hurricanes' comeback hopes
Veteran NFL safety will either play for this team or retire in 2024
Former Red Wings head coach linked to open NHL job
How Patriots' Drake Maye has already impressed Jacoby Brissett
LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry among Forbes' highest-paid athletes for 2024
Steve Cohen addresses if Mets could again be trade-deadline sellers
Tiger Woods ruins strong first round with sloppy finish at PGA Championship
NFL responds to speculation about Chiefs schedule and Taylor Swift
Despite hopes for change, NASCAR championship weekend will return to Phoenix in 2025
Chiefs will achieve something not done since 1927 with 2024 schedule
Yankees' Aaron Judge comments on resurgence after bad slump