Recap: Warriors overcome early shooting woes to defeat Jazz 115-108

The Warriors couldn’t buy a basket to open the game, but played a top-notch defensive game and executed down the stretch to defeat the Jazz.

It was a brutal slog to start the game, but the Golden State Warriors played a brilliant fourth quarter to retake a lead they had given up, defeating the Utah Jazz 115-108.

Don’t let the final score fool you. For the first half of the game, it sure looked as if neither squad would manage to break the hundred point mark. No one on the Warriors could buy a shot from distance with the team going a dismal 4 of 20 from beyond the arc.

But a strong showing on the defensive side of the ball helped the Warriors overcome their shooting woes, holding their opponent to an even worse shooting night, and allowing them to walk away with a three point into the halftime break.

Golden State came out with an intensity on that end of the court that they’ve typically reserved for the playoffs over the last several seasons. On the first five possessions for the Jazz, the Warriors came away with three steals and two blocks.

The team collected seven steals and twelve fast-break points in the first quarter alone.

Klay Thompson, as he has done quite effectively over their handful of matchups, put the clamps down on Donovan Mitchell, doing his part in holding the Utah star to 3 of 12 shooting in the first half.

Unfortunately that defensive success wasn’t solely reserved for the home team, as Utah’s game plan to sell out on Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant worked just as well in disrupting the Warrior’s offensive flow.

Utah threw early double teams at Durant whenever he touched the ball, forcing him to pass it away, and had Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell hound the Splash Bros all over the court. The number of clean looks were far and few in between, and the limited number of open shots the Warriors got just couldn’t find the bottom of the bucket for what seemed like an eternity.

Coming out of the half, both teams began to thaw from their icy dwellings as shots began to fall on both sides. Unfortunately a few more happened to fall in the Jazz’s favor, as they outscored the Warriors 40-34 in the period and retook their first lead since the beginning of the game.

But the champs put together a very impressive fourth quarter, with some key moments from everybody, to storm back for the win. Curry, Thompson, and Durant all knocked down key 3-pointers. Draymond Green — who had perhaps one of his nicest defensive games all season — had a number of key deflections, blocks, and assists. DeMarcus Cousins had a monster offensive board and and-1 put-back dunk to extend the lead.

It wasn’t the prettiest game, but it was nice to see this team focused enough to battle through some early and late game adversity. Late game execution had been a bit of mess in tight games for the team early in the season (Warriors were 9-7 in close games before the new year). But this latest string of tight wins can help sharpen the team for the playoffs.

Tip-ins

• I’d be remiss not to mention Andre Iguodala who was my MVP for the game. He hit all three of his shots from distance and was a key on defense. This guy is having perhaps his best regular season in a Warriors jersey.

• I wonder how much of his movement ability Boogie will be able to regain by season’s end. He has the right idea and makes a good move on a number of post-ups, but his ability to finish just isn’t there with his current level of athleticism.
• He’s having a down year, but boy has Mitchell struggled against the Warriors this year. He’s been fully forced into a volume shooter and has been held to a super inefficient 29% from the field over three games. He is one of the reasons I don’t quite fear having the Jazz as a potential matchup in the playoffs.
• Klay had to leave the game momentarily after spraining (dislocating?) his ring-finger on his non-shooting hand. Any fears surrounding that injury were quickly extinguished after he went on to score the majority of his points after returning to the court.