Seth Curry made an impressive return to the Golden State on Monday night after a 40-game injury absence, but it was former forward Blake Hinson who had the final say as the Utah Jazz delivered a 119-116 victory on their home floor.
Hinson previously played with the Warriors in the G League and was part of their training camp roster last season, but had to wait for Utah to give him his first NBA opportunity. The 6'8" forward capitalized on that against his former team, nailing a wing three over Draymond Green to give Utah the lead with under 30 seconds remaining.
Blake Hinson delivers crushing blow to Warriors in Utah
As was the case against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, Golden State just weren't able to execute consistently enough late in the game, and missed a host of crucial free-throws down the stretch of a one possession loss.
But in contrast to the game against the Thunder, this was a game the Warriors were expected to win despite the absences of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Moses Moody.
Utah entered as losers of eight of their past nine games, but Golden State couldn't create separation in the first-half and trailed by double-digits at one stage in the fourth. The Warriors rallied to tie the game late, but Hinson put pay to their comeback hopes with a dagger that sends Golden State back to .500 (32-32) on the season.
BLAKE, FOR THE LEAD!!! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/5FaVCYFkKP
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 10, 2026
Curry had a 12-minute restriction in his return from a sciatic injury, but made the most of it in pouring in 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. The Warriors were +3 in his minutes, and there was plenty to suggest the veteran sharpshooter could become an even bigger piece going forward.
De'Anthony Melton led Golden State with 22 points and seven rebounds, yet missed some shots at the rim late in finishing 7-of-16 from the floor overall. The Warriors had eight players score in double figures on the night, including Gui Santos who continued his impressive form with 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Brandin Podziemski added 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists, yet the third-year guard missed all four of his free-throws in the fourth-quarter which proved crucial given the close nature of the loss.
Golden State shot 14-of-21 from the free-throw line as a team, while the Jazz were 27-of-29 in what proved the difference in the game. The Warriors won't have long to drown their sorrows, with a return home to face the Chicago Bulls at Chase on Tuesday.