Warriors Win a Wild One in Utah

Talk about closing out a win. After the Jazz stormed the Dubs with a 41-point third quarter, the Warriors’ – available – veterans stepped up in the fourth period to lead the Dubs to a 123-116 road win over the Jazz on Saturday.

Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala each knocked down huge 3-pointers in the final two minutes, and the Warriors’ out-scored Utah 37-25 in the fourth quarter to pick up an impressive New Year’s Night victory over the team with the third best record in the NBA.

Curry led the Dubs with 28 points, Andrew Wiggins came through with 25 points and Otto Porter Jr. did some of everything (20 points, eight assists, seven rebounds) as the Dubs improved to 28-7 on the season.

After holiday wins in each of their last two road outings, the Dubs will come home to host the Heat on Monday.

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VETS FINISH STRONG
Although the Warriors are currently without two franchise cornerstone veterans in Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the team’s veterans who were active in Saturday’s game came through with the game on the line. Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter scored 32 of the team’s 37 points in the fourth quarter, including the team’s last 28 points over the final eight minutes of the game.

After Curry tied the game at 101-101 with 6:16 left in the fourth quarter, Wiggins would score the team’s next eight points, and the Warriors never trailed for the remainder of the game. Iguodala scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth period, and his dagger with 40 seconds left in the game put the exclamation point on one of the biggest wins of the season.

UTAH’S THIRD QUARTER BLITZ
The Warriors entered halftime with a 14-point advantage, but the Jazz quickly erased that behind a 41-22 third quarter. Utah had four players who would score 20 points in the game – Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic – and the Jazz would lead by as many as eight points before the Dubs made their run in the fourth quarter.

PLAY OF THE NIGHT
With the Dubs up two with a minute and half left in the game, Otto Porter Jr. passed to Stephen Curry, who was cutting toward the basket. With Utah’s defensive standout Rudy Gobert ready to challenge Curry at the rim, the Dubs’ two-time MVP dished out to Gary Payton II at the three-point line. Curry motioned for Payton to pass the ball out to Otto Porter Jr. on the right wing, which he did, and Curry ran around a Payton screen. Porter delivered the pass to Curry, who caught the pass and promptly launched a three from the right wing. Curry’s sixth 3-pointer of the game put the Dubs up by five with 1:25 left, and the Jazz were never able to make it a one-possession game after that.

CURRY MAKES MORE NBA HISTORY
Another game, another record. This time, he broke his own, as Saturday marked Stephen Curry’s 158th consecutive game with at least one made 3-pointer. The streak breaks his own NBA record (157) that he set from Nov. 13, 2014 through Nov. 3, 2016.

WELCOME BACK POOLE
The Warriors continue to have several players out due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, but they got Jordan Poole back for Saturday’s game. The third-year guard had missed the last six games but had 10 points in 17 minutes off the bench, going 3-for-6 from the floor and 1-for-2 on 3-pointers.

PORTER’S STRONG START
Otto Porter Jr. bounced back from a scoreless outing in Tuesday’s home loss to the Nuggets and nearly had a triple-double. He was particularly active in the first quarter, when he scored or assisted on 10 of the team’s first 11 shots. He had 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting, along with five assists, in the first quarter, and he’d finish with season-highs in scoring (20) and assists (8).

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