Golden State Warriors record massive win over Jazz without star trio

The Golden State Warriors have continued their league-leading record at home, coming from behind to defeat the Utah Jazz 112-107 at Chase Center on Wednesday night.

Playing without star trio Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, Golden State trailed for the majority of the game before rallying in a pulsating fourth-quarter. They kept Utah to just 13 points in the final period, ultimately overturning a ten-point deficit from late in the third.

The defense came alive over the final 12 minutes as an undermanned Golden State Warriors secured a third-straight win to move back to .500.

Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen threatened to be the difference early in the contest, beginning with four three-pointers as, on the other end, the Warriors’ shooting struggles continued from the last three-quarters of Tuesday night’s win over the Charlotte Hornets. Golden State began the game 3-for-12 from three, with Utah’s 7-for-14 catapulting them to a 37-27 lead at the end of the first.

The lead remained around double-digits until Golden State made a concerted push towards the end of the half. That coincided with surprise minutes for Patrick Baldwin Jr. after Jonathan Kuminga picked up his third foul. The Warriors’ rookie knocked down two of his three triples and recorded three rebounds in his seven second-quarter minutes . They tied the game from down 12, before Markkanen again proved a thorn with the final two buckets as the Jazz held a five-point lead.

Utah threatened to blow out the lead in the third, but the Warriors found enough of their own offense to remain close enough. In a similar vein to the Christmas Day game against the Memphis Grizzlies, it was Ty Jerome who made some big buckets in the pick-and-roll with James Wiseman to close the period.

The Warriors headed to the fourth down six, but three straight triples from Baldwin, Jordan Poole and Draymond Green all of a sudden gave them the lead at 97-96. That was briefly short-lived as they then went four minutes without points, before exploding again with a 10-0 run that gave them their biggest lead of the game at six with just over four to play.

Golden State’s offense went cold again, but it was Green’s defense that came to the fore with a couple of massive blocked shots. Jordan Clarkson cut the lead to two with 24.5 seconds remaining, before Donte DiVincenzo extended it back to four with two clutch free-throws. There was to be no repeat of the Warriors’ meltdown in Utah earlier in the month, holding on and claiming a five-point win in another feather in the cap for the team’s young players.

Poole finished with 26, DiVincenzo 19 and Jerome 17, while Green and Kevon Looney combined for 12 points, 21 rebounds and ten assists. Baldwin joined Jerome in double-figures off the bench with 11 points and four rebounds in his most impressive minutes of the season, while Kuminga had nine points, four rebounds and three assists before fouling out.

It proves another vitally important win for the Warriors who simply can’t lose right now on their home floor. They should regain Thompson and hopefully Wiggins for another crucial matchup against a Western Conference rival, with the Portland Trail Blazers visiting Chase Center on Friday.