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Oakland, Calif. • The Jazz could have finally pieced together back-to-back wins.
They didn't.
The Jazz finally could have made some forward progress in the Western Conference standings.
They didn't.
The Jazz could have once again shown that All-Star point guard Deron Williams isn't absolutely necessary to produce a victory.
They didn't.
Instead, Golden State's Stephen Curry scored 27 points and the punchless Jazz shot 37 percent as the Warriors rolled to an easy 96-81 victory.
Utah lost for the seventh time in eight games, with four of those defeats coming against teams with losing records.
The Warriors had lost four in a row, and 10 straight opponents had scored at least 100 points against them.
But the Jazz, who trailed all the way, didn't come close.
"We haven't been playing with much energy for some reason," said coach Jerry Sloan. "And that's the only way we have a chance."
The Jazz played their second straight game without Williams, who is suffering from a strained tendon in his wrist.
After the Jazz's morning shootaround, Williams said, "It's actually worse today. I did some shooting [Saturday] and I shouldn't have done that because it's a little more sore today."
Still, Williams' presence probably wouldn't have helped, given the Jazz's performance.
"It's tough to explain," Andrei Kirilenko said. "After these kind of games, it seems like everything is falling apart. But we have to stay positive. We have some good plays tonight. But more bad plays. That's why we lost the game."
Al Jefferson led the Jazz with 16 points, but Golden State broke the game open in the final 10 minutes after leading 71-64 early in the fourth quarter.
On a night when conference rivals Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Denver and the L.A. Lakers all lost, Utah's record slipped to 28-20 on the season after it started 27-13.
"The whole thing was disappointing," said Sloan.
Once again, Earl Watson started at point guard for Utah, which trailed at the end of the first quarter 31-25.
After the Jazz fought back from an early 8-2 deficit, it was 20-20 before Golden State went on a late 11-2 run.
On consecutive possessions, Dorell Wright hit a pair of 3-pointers, Curry made another one and rookie Ekpe Udoh scored easily from the lane.
Golden State shot 62 percent in the opening quarter, including 4 of 8 from the three-point line.
The situation got worse for the Jazz in the second quarter, when they managed only two field goals in six minutes and fell behind 43-29.
In the final 4:31, however, Kirilenko sparked a 14-4 run that got Utah back in the game.
Paul Millsap scored 12 points and Kirilenko had nine points, eight rebounds and three assists for the Jazz, who trailed 49-45 at halftime.
For Golden State, Curry had 16 points. But Monta Ellis was scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting.
"It looked like we had a little bit of interest in it for a while," Sloan said. "But we'd get something going and — bam — something else would happen to us."
In the third quarter, the Jazz trimmed the deficit to 55-52 when Kirilenko got inside for a dunk.
Utah could have drawn closer, too, but Watson turned the ball over on a fast break with Raja Bell.
Ellis followed with his first points of the game on a runner from the lane, triggering a 7-0 run that pushed Golden State's lead back to 62-52.
Although the Jazz got as close as 64-61, they misfired on seven straight possessions and the Warriors took a 71-61 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the end, all the Jazz could do was look forward to Monday night's game against Charlotte at EnergySolutions Arena as a chance for redemption.
But whether Williams can play or not will likely be a game-time decision.
"We'll just wait and see when he's healthy," Sloan said. "That's what we've always done. When he's ready to go, he's ready to go."