Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale tries to put a stop against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, right, in Utah on Wed Feb 9, 2022 (AP News photo)
Warriors Winning Streak Snapped by Utah 111-85
By Barbara Mason
Wednesday night the Golden State Warriors (41-14) took on the Utah Jazz (34-21) in Salt Lake City. Both teams are riding on winning streaks, the Jazz with three wins in a row and Golden State looking for their tenth win in a row. The Jazz came ready and shutdown Golden State’s offense for the 111-85 win.
Their last game on the road, New Year’s Day in Salt Lake City was a barnburner. The Warriors won that game 123-116 despite a horrific third quarter. The Jazz scored 41 points in that quarter while the Warriors had only 22 points. It was In the final minutes of that game that Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala made crucial shots from downtown plus three free throws from Curry.
Tonight’s game features two teams that excel in shots from outside. It will be a Curry vs Donovan Mitchell match-up and promises to be some exciting ball.
Rudy Gobert did not play tonight for the Jazz. The Warriors were missing Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and Nemanja Bjelica. Kevon Looney started this game being a game-time decision.
The Warriors started off the first quarter with a couple of three’s from Otto Porter and Andrew Wiggins. It was a nice start for Golden State taking a 13-0 lead to begin this game. It would just be a matter of time before the Jazz got going.
Mid-way through the quarter the Warriors led 15-2. Utah put an end to the Warriors surge and by the end of the quarter the Warriors led 31-30. The Jazz had shot five from downtown and Golden State with six.
Mental errors, empty possessions and turnovers in the second quarter did the Warriors no favors. The Jazz will make you pay every time you commit those turnovers and fouls. After two quarters the Jazz led 55-49. The 10-2 on turnovers gave the Jazz a real edge. The Warriors were struggling against the Jazz defense.
After tying up this game in the third quarter at 58, the Jazz began to make a move. More turnovers and empty possessions gave the Jazz a 79-65 lead after three quarters. The Warriors went 35% shooting which would hardly get the job done against Utah.
The Jazz offense went off in the third quarter and took it into the fourth. The Warriors had cooled off since the first quarter and just could not turn it back around.
The Warriors were not getting anything in the paint and Utah was not missing anything in the fourth quarter. Golden State’s winning streak would come to an end. The good news for the Warriors was the simple fact that they had gone 9-1 without Draymond Green. The Warriors have an amazing defense right now without their ace.
The Warriors Jordan Poole finished the game with 18 points. Bojan Bogdanovic was the high for the Jazz with 23 points. Hassan Whiteside not only had nine points off the bench for Utah but also had 17 rebounds.
The Warriors were outplayed by the Jazz and had a real off night offensively. They were skunked. It happens and so now it is back home for a date with the Knicks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
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