They started things off with a 106-103 victory against the Utah Jazz last night, continuing their record winning-streak to 19 games. A nice finish from Rodney Hood and a missed three by Curry gave Utah the ball with 16 seconds remaining and a mere one-point deficit.
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“Just because we’re (undefeated) doesn’t mean we can just show up and blow teams out or guarantee a win”, Curry said. “We actually have to do something about it”. They defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday 87-82 even without big man Al Jefferson for much of the game after leaving midway through the first quarter with a left calf strain. So while other teams in the Western Conference are scrambling to keep up with the reigning champs, the Warriors are looking far beyond their first loss, whenever it may come.
“That’s a huge accomplishment”, Curry said of McKillop’s 500th win. Last season, they managed to win only 18 games (which the Warriors have already matched), and this season could finally prove the ultimate disaster that gets GM Sam Hinkie fired and the franchise ready to start a new rebuild.
This was the first game of a seven-game, 14-day road trip that continues Wednesday night in Charlotte. “Not good, great. [The Warriors are] the best team in the league and we’re right there”. You know a month from now, hopefully what we come away from this game with is more significant than one win. “Nothing’s going to be given away here”.
In Salt Lake City, with a Jazz team that’s great on defense and has the size and talent to match up with the Warriors on defense, it was possibly their biggest challenge yet.
After Curry missed a 3-pointer, the Jazz had a chance to take the lead, but Hood missed a 3 from the wing with five seconds left. Not only are the Warriors riding an NBA-record 19-game winning streak, but they are also averaging a league-best 115.3 points per game, reaching 100 points in each contest this season. Livingston added a jumper that gave the Warriors a 95-92 lead.
“The games get close, and you can see the calmness in our guys”, Walton said. “Just to be able to root for them back out in California, it’s a lot of fun”. That’s a credit to the team’s confidence in its identity as a bruising, interior-focused team at a time when that approach has often been called outdated. “We responded well”, Green said.
Playing in their third game in four nights, the Warriors were energized by the hot shooting of reserve guard Ian Clark, who over a three-minute stretch in the second went 4-for-4 from 3-point range. If the Jazz would’ve played with the focus and energy that they played with against the Warriors in previous games this season, many of their narrow losses would’ve likely turned into victories. Defensively, the Jazz yield 93.2 points against the opposing teams. Then Curry hit another three-pointer.
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The third quarter saw the Warriors lead grow to 27 as they outscored their Los Angeles rival 35-17, and then both teams put up 22 in the final quarter to the 111-77 final.
