A flurry of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter gave the Warriors a lead over the Jazz. There is a time and a place for this.
The Golden State Warriors have been coy about how much they have been watching. Some people have admitted to monitoring them. Others have said they are not important.
There was no one in Golden State's locker room who wasn't aware of the implications of the Utah Jazz game.
The Warriors have a one-game advantage over the Dallas Mavericks. If the two teams had the same record at the end of the season, they would have a top-five spot in the West.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that they were aware of it. I told the coaching staff, and then Curry said it to a few of the guys.
The Warriors beat the Jazz on the road, securing a spot in the playoffs and setting themselves up nicely to potentially earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. It was their second win in a row.
The Warriors felt they had something positive to build on after their loss to the Suns. The defense came back and looked connected and coherent against the Suns. The issue was that they were not able to close.
It was all about how they closed.
After the Warriors trimmed the Jazz's lead to single digits in the final minutes of the third quarter, Utah made a quick surge at the start of the fourth to go up 16. The Jazz called timeout after Klay Thompson hit a 3-pointer.
The game changed after Draymond Green spoke.
He brought a lot of energy. Giving guys motivation and picking us up, especially in a pressure moment. We were able to ride that.
Andrew made a pull-up jumper after the timeout. Thirty seconds later, Thompson hit a 3. He hit another. The Warriors went from down 16 to down four in 80 seconds and went on an 18-0 run to take the lead.
Kerr said he was amazed by the skill of Klay and Jordan. The methodical defense and energy from Andrew and Otto, as well as the emotion and passion from Draymond. An unbelievable performance by our guys.
In his 16th consecutive game with at least 20 points, Poole finished with 31 points, his 16th consecutive game with at least 30 points.
Thompson was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 The Warriors think that his recent troubles are due to him trying too hard to find a rhythm.
If Klay just sees the ball go through the hoop a couple of times, he can make the bad ones as well.
Thompson said he could flip a switch like that. I knew this year would have ups and downs, and I told myself yesterday that I would move on. I told Kenny that I was going to have a big night and it came to fruition. I am happy it did.
Rudy Gobert staying in the paint gave the Warriors wide-open looks in the fourth quarter, as Utah continued to defend in a drop coverage.
In other games, the Warriors missed open shots, but this time they hit them. They executed instead of being lackadaisical.
At this point in the season, every game is important. Everyone in the Warriors locker room knew that this one had an extra edge to it, and they were going to keep it.
That was what Green told the team during the timeout midway through the fourth, and what led the Warriors on their late-game surge.
It was a crucial part of the game.
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