The Warriors used a 29-1 run in the first quarter to push past the Jazz 106-99 in Utah.
Winners of 15 of their last 16 games, Golden State is on pace to win 71 games. The Warriors led by 19 at the half and as many as 25 on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Jazz made it a game in the second half, going on a 12-0 run in the third quarter and trimmed the lead to 84-79. They kept chipping away behind backup small forward Joe Ingles, who scored 21 points and Rudy Gobert who totaled 20. It forced to the Warriors to play their starters the duration of the game.
The big scare in the game came late in the third quarter. Draymond Green tweaked his left ankle when Steph Curry stepped on it. Green limped to the locker room and returned to the game with 5:57 left in the fourth quarter.
Draymond Green limps to the locker room in Utah pic.twitter.com/doJgwllGLn
— Kevin Jones (@Mr_KevinJones) December 9, 2016
Other than that, it was full throttle Warriors. Football passes for easy Klay Thompson lay-ups, sharpshooting from Green, alley-oops to JaVale McGee and full on theatrics from Curry.
A night after scoring 22 points against the Clippers, Green cranked 4/6 from downtown and finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. He’s 7/10 from distance in his last two games and he’s just about locked up a spot on the Western Conference All-Star roster — if there was ever any debate about that in the first place.
Curry led the way and finished with 26 points (3/9 from deep, 9/9 from the free throw line). He hit a circus, one-handed floater from well behind the free-throw line in the first quarter. Thompson was quiet on the night with 10 points and 6 rebounds, rookie Patrick McCaw scored a career-high 10 points and Ian Clark hit two big threes in the fourth quarter.
A so-so start offensively to the five game road trip for Kevin Durant ended in the fourth quarter against Utah, where KD exploded for 10 points in the quarter, finishing with 21 total. His shot blocking and his rebounding (11 on the night) have been a stabilizing force for the Warriors on defense. It was Durant’s ninth straight double-double.
It should be noted the Jazz were without Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rodney Hood. The Warriors rested Shaun Livingston. Utah fell to 14-10 on the season.
Durant and David West both picked up technical fouls.
The Warriors will fly to Memphis for a Saturday game against the Grizzlies. Sunday they’ll play another back-to-back against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
