Back in the win column.
Tuesday night at Chase Center was a battle of shorthanded teams testing their depth. In one corner, the Golden State Warriors, already without Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga, and dealt a late blow when Steph Curry was scratched about two hours before tip. In the other corner, the Utah Jazz, without core players Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, and Walker Kessler.
It was still a game the Warriors needed to win, given that they were at home, against a 10-win team on the back end of a back-to-back. And — spoiler alert! — win they did, beating Utah 114-103 to return to .500.
But like so many of their recent games, the Warriors dug themselves an early hole, as they were unable to stop a sneakily-hot Jazz offense in the early goings. Within a few minutes, Utah had built up a 17-7 lead, and Steve Kerr needed a timeout to talk some sense into a not-what-anyone-envisioned starting five of Dennis Schröder, Buddy Hield, Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody, and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
The timeout worked. Moody was fouled on a three straight out of the timeout, made all three free throws and then, after a stop, drained a three on the next possession. And then it was on.
Golden State’s offense found its groove, even though they were still fairly sloppy, and the defense started to put on the clamps. A three by Brandin Podziemski capped a 12-2 run, and gave the Dubs their first lead at 25-23, in the same quarter in which they had trailed by double-digits. At the end of the frame, it was tied 27-27.
It was the second quarter where the Warriors really took off though, and it didn’t take long. They opened the quarter on a 9-0 run, which featured a highlight eurostep transition dunk by Quinten Post, who keeps earning fans. That was part of another 12-2 run, as the Warriors built up a double-digit lead of their own.
The Jazz wouldn’t go away though, with Collin Sexton putting the team on his shoulders and keeping Utah in it. But the Warriors were doing a stellar job of turning defense into offense: by halftime, they had turned eight Utah turnovers into 16 points, while the Jazz had earned just four points off of Golden State’s five giveaways. Despite 20 points from Sexton, the Dubs led 62-51 at the break.
But the third quarter started ominously. Just a few minutes in, Schröder hit the deck after an awful looking fall, and needed help standing up and getting back to the locker room. It looked like he had potentially suffered a severe knee or leg injury but, thankfully, he returned later in the quarter.
Other than that, nothing much happened in the frame. The Jazz weren’t going away, but the Warriors weren’t folding. It felt like it was a 10-point game for the entirety of the quarter, and the Warriors led 92-83 as we went to the fourth.
And then danger struck. The Jazz played with hustle and heart to start the quarter, and the Warriors started getting sloppy again. What had been a double-digit lead became a five-point lead with just under nine minutes left, then a four-point lead with just under eight minutes left, then a two-point lead with just over seven minutes left, then a one-point game as we neared the halfway mark. It was a 13-3 run marked by strong Utah offense, and a Golden State offense that was settling for bad shots.
But the Warriors dug deep for a response they sorely needed, and the defining sequence of the game came a few minutes later, with just over four minutes remaining. Clinging to a four-point lead, Wiggins drove to the hoop and attempted a dunk, but was sent away. The long rebound was chased down by Gui Santos, who got the ball to Moody. Moody, seeing a defense scrambling to get set, attacked the paint ferociously, and made a brilliant pass to find Wiggins under the hoop, where he dropped the ball in, was fouled, and completed the three-point play. A few stops later and Podziemski — who dominated stretches of the second half — sunk a corner three to make it a 10-point lead and effectively end the game.
That sequence was emblematic of the victory, because the Warriors dominated the offense glass, grabbing a whopping 16 offensive rebounds (including five by Looney, four by Santos, and three by Post), against just five for the Jazz. That, combined with outscoring Utah 26-8 in points off turnovers and draining 17 threes, allowed the Dubs to overcome a massive 56-32 deficit in points in the paint.
Schröder led the Warriors with 23 points, while Podziemski added 20, Wiggins 19, Moody 15, and Post 10. Perhaps most impressively, the Warriors combined to turn the ball over just nine times all night.
Now the challenge gets harder, as the Warriors welcome the Oklahoma City Thunder to town on Wednesday night. The Thunder not only have the NBA’s best record at 37-8, but have had two straight off days, while the Warriors will be attempting to find their legs on the second half of a back-to-back.
On the bright side, Curry is expected to return for that game, so grab your popcorn.