Without Stephen Curry but with an aggressive and skillful Klay Thompson and the return of Jonathan Kuminga (21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists), the Warriors quickly take control of the match. On the Jazz side, Jonny Juzang (27 points) puts up resistance coming off the bench but the Jazz defense takes on water (41-28).
Juzang and Thompson fight each other but the fifth 3-pointer from the “Splash Brother” increases the gap to +23 (62-39)! Keyonte George (25 points) and Collin Sexton (15 points, 7 assists) stop the bleeding and the Jazz can be happy to be only 14 lengths behind at the break (68-54).
Thompson and Kuminga see Brandin Podziemski (16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (16 points, 7 rebounds) join their party. The Warriors did not slow down and drove the point home before the last period (97-77).
The Jazz attempt a last stand, passing their opponent 14-6 (103-91), but Golden State is back in action to get a seventh victory in eight games.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Stephen Curry resting, Jonathan Kuminga back. With their defeat in Dallas, it would take a miracle for the Warriors to move above eighth place. This is the reason why Steve Kerr and his staff decided to rest Stephen Curry against a Utah team which remained on 11 defeats in a row before the meeting. Golden State was, however, able to count on Jonathan Kuminga, back after missing six games. The winger came off the bench for his return, despite the absence of Andrew Wiggins, and he was convincing. This confirms the trend announced by Kerr to keep the same major five which had allowed them to win six matches in a row over the last two weeks. The Warriors travel to the Lakers on Tuesday for a crucial game for the final play-in position.
– Klay Thompson is having fun. Four days after his 29 points and 7/11 3-pointers against Houston, Thompson did it again last night against the young Jazz team. The “Splash Brother” came out of the starting blocks, with 25 points at 5/9 at 3-points, to give control of the match to the Warriors. Utah adjusted in the second half, but Thompson continued his festival to finish with 32 points at 6/13 from distance. A good omen before the last week of the regular season and the play-in.
– Record evening for Johnny Juzang. The former UCLA star, on a two-way contract for two years, had the best game of his young NBA career last night. He held off Klay Thompson in the first half, scoring 22 of his 27 points. This is his new career best.
