The Golden State Warriors beats the Utah Jazz

The Golden State Warriors came back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Utah Jazz 111-107 and make it to the playoffs

The Golden State Warriors beats the Utah Jazz
Image: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

The Golden State Warriors have been tight-lipped about how much they’ve been monitoring the Western Conference standings. Some have acknowledged to keeping an eye on them. Others have declared that they are unimportant, came back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Utah Jazz.

No one in the Golden State Warriors locker room wasn’t aware of the importance of Saturday night’s contest before tipoff.

The Warriors can’t catch the Mavericks, but they could gain ground on them in a game between two teams with identical records. They’d be tied for fourth place if they won, and the one-game edge over Dallas would give them the tiebreaker against Utah should both teams have the same record at the season’s end.

“Oh yeah, [we were] well aware,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We didn’t talk about it a whole lot as a team, but the guys know. … I told it to the coaching staff, and Steph [Curry] said it to a couple of the guys.”

The Golden State Warriors won against the Utah Jazz 111-107, securing a playoff spot and laying the groundwork for an excellent first-round possibility. It was just the team’s second victory in the previous nine games.

The Golden State Warriors beats the Utah Jazz

The Warriors were coming off a defeat to the Phoenix Suns two nights prior, and they felt they had something worthwhile to build on. Their defense, which was previously ranked No. 1 in the league, resurfaced against the Suns, while their offense appeared connected and organized. The problem was that they couldn’t finish the games.

It was all about how the Jazz closed in their matchup against Utah.

The Golden State Warriors cut Utah’s lead to nine points in the final minutes of the third quarter, after which the Jazz stormed ahead quickly in the opening minutes of the fourth to increase their advantage to 16. Klay Thompson hit a trey with 6:58 left, and Utah called a time out.

That was when the game changed, prompted by a Draymond Green pep talk.

“He just brought a lot of energy. Giving guys motivation and picking us up, especially in a pressure moment like that,” Jordan Poole said. “What he says projects to the entire team. We were able to just ride that momentum.”

Andrew Wiggins scored with a 28-foot pull-up jumper after the time out. A 3 followed 30 seconds later. He hit another three on the subsequent play. The Warriors went from being down 16 to down just four in 80 seconds, then went on an 18-0 run to take the game’s first lead.

“What a performance,” Kerr said. “I was amazed by the skill of Klay and Jordan. The emotion and passion from Draymond, and the methodical defense and energy from Andrew and Otto [Porter Jr.] An unbelievable performance down the stretch by our guys.”

Poole scored 31 points. This was his 16th consecutive game of scoring at least 20 points. Thompson was the Warriors’ top scorer

Thompson had a breakthrough night after he struggled for the past several games. The Warriors say that his recent woes were because he was trying too hard to find a rhythm.

“We’ve seen it a million times: If Klay just sees the ball go through the hoop a couple of times, he can make the bad ones too,” Kerr said. “I didn’t think this was a dramatic improvement in terms of shot selection, but I think the fact that that midrange shot was there … that allowed him to get into a rhythm, and then he started making the impossible ones.”

Added Thompson: “I know I can flip a switch just like that. I knew this year would have its ups and downs, and I just told myself yesterday that it’s one game and I will move on. I told Kenny Atkinson that I felt like I was going to have a big night tonight, and it came to fruition. I’m happy it did.”

The Jazz’s defense in the fourth quarter was only assisted by their drop coverage, which kept Rudy Gobert in the paint no matter what, providing the Warriors easy shots.

Unlike in other games, where the Warriors missed open shots, this time they connected. They were neither dilatory nor careless.

“Each game is critical at this stage of the season,” Poole said. “But there was no doubting that everyone in the Warriors’ locker room recognized it had a little extra bite to it, and they weren’t going to let it go.”

Green told the team during a timeout in the fourth quarter what they needed to do in order to win. This led to the Warriors’ comeback victory.

“It was a crucial part of the game,” Poole said. “This was the moment where we needed to win the game.”

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