Warriors Survive Scare in Utah, Remain Undefeated

The Warriors survived a late scare from the Jazz Monday night. 

It was a little too close for comfort, but the Golden State Warriors’ perfect start lived on with a 106-103 win over the Utah Jazz on the road Monday night.

The Warriors advanced to 19-0, keeping the undefeated streak alive and continuing to set the NBA record for best start to a season.

With under a minute remaining and the game tied at 101-101, Stephen Curry made a three from deep on the left side. Rodney Hood‘s tough layup cut the lead back down to one, and a miss by Curry on the other end gave the Jazz the ball and a chance to win.

But Hood missed a three and the Warriors came up with the ball out of the ensuing scramble. Curry hit two foul shots to seal a close and gritty victory for Golden State.

Curry, who made several key shots late, finished with 26 points to lead the way. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green both added 20 points.

The Jazz opened the fourth quarter on a 13-4 run as the Warriors’ bench went cold to start. A pair of free throws by Derrick Favors gave Utah an 88-87 lead after the Warriors committed a few turnovers and let the Jazz take the momentum.

But the Warriors answered as Curry checked back into the game midway through the fourth and hit a three to tie the game at 90-90. Shaun Livingston knocked down his first trey of the season to put the Warriors back ahead at the 5:39 mark.

A basket and a foul by Favors put the Jazz back ahead 99-97 with two minutes to play, but Curry responded with a jumper to tie the game back up. The Warriors reclaimed a 101-99 lead on a Green field goal off a steal.

The slow first half tempo continued to start the second half. Curry scored four quick points to open up a nine-point lead at 57-48 early in the third quarter. But the Jazz worked hard and kept within striking distance, cutting the lead to 73-71 late in the quarter. Curry and Thompson combined to score the Warriors’ last 10 points in the third and they went into the fourth ahead 83-77.

The Warriors played a sloppy first quarter, playing a mostly rugged, half-court tempo. They limited the Jazz to 33 percent shooting, but Utah hung in the game. Green banked in a tough running shot at the end of the quarter to give the Warriors a 26-20 lead into the second.

Ian Clark kept the Warriors in front in the second quarter, hitting four threes, the latter of which put the Warriors ahead 51-44 with under two minutes left in the half. Like how the first quarter ended, Green grinded out a basket down low to end the second. Golden State led 53-48 at halftime.

Tale of the Tape

Warriors

• Field-goal percentage: 48.8% (40-82)
• Three-point percentage: 48.3% (14-29)
• Rebounds: 45
• Assists: 21
• Turnovers: 15

Jazz

• Field-goal percentage: 44.9% (40-89)
• Three-point percentage: 31.6% (6-19)
• Rebounds: 35
• Assists: 18
• Turnovers: 8

Good to Know

What’s on Tap

The Warriors head to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Wednesday.