By Matt Payne, utahjazz.com
It took the Jazz more than four minutes to score their first bucket Friday night, at which point Golden State had already reached double digits. It didn’t get any better from there as Utah went on to lose 101-88 to the Warriors at ORACLE Arena in Oakland.
Enes Kanter led the Jazz with 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting but played only 20 minutes because of Golden State’s small lineup. He scored nine of his points in the fourth quarter. Gordon Hayward added 12 points (in 26 minutes) and Derrick Favors scored 10 and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds (in 21 minutes).
Andre Iguodala scored 17 points off the bench to pace Golden State, while Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Marreese Speights scored 14 points each. Stephen Curry dished out a game-high 10 assists in only 25 minutes of court time.
The Warriors led by as many as 30 near the end of the third quarter before the Jazz closed the game on a 18-7 run.
Game Highlights
Significant Stat
Turnovers once again played a huge part in Utah’s struggles. In the first half, the Jazz turned the ball over 12 times, leading to 20 Golden State points. The Warriors only turned it over twice as they built a 22-point lead by halftime.
Coach’s Quote of the Night
Friday’s Best
On a night when the Jazz couldn’t get anything going, Rudy Gobert was a bright spot. The 7-foot-1 center went 6-for-7 from the field (with all six buckets being dunks) for a career-high 12 points. He added five rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 18 minutes.
It Was Over When ...
Golden State won the opening tipoff and Klay Thompson proceeded to swish a three on the Warriors’ first possession. The Jazz didn’t get any closer than that as Golden State began the game on a 12-0 run and led by double digits until the final horn.
3-Point Spotlight
Steve Novak came off the bench to drill three 3-pointers, including one that bounced well above the shot clock and came back down and in. As a team, the Jazz went 6-for-17 from beyond the arc.
Block of the Night
With the game winding down in the fourth quarter, former Jazzman Brandon Rush drove in for a seemingly open layup before Gobert flew in from the weak side to swat away his former teammate’s attempt. The Jazz finished with five blocks.
Up Next
The Jazz will return home for a game Saturday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.