Oakland, Calif. • On Sunday afternoon, the Utah Jazz got a taste of the hostile crowd they’ll face if they return to Oracle Arena next month for a playoff series. The stands were full for most of the game even as the margin between the two teams grew, and the fans were loud.
But as for everything else that may await the Jazz this postseason, they didn’t see much of it.
For the second straight meeting with the defending NBA champs, Utah won big, 110-91. But unlike the blowout in January, when the Jazz ripped the Warriors by 30 points, Golden State was a team without its stars. No Steph Curry and Klay Thompson drilling 3-pointers with ease. No Kevin Durant hitting turnaround jumpers from the elbow. No Draymond Green mucking offensive sets up by guarding every position. It was only the second time that all four have been sidelined this season.
It wasn’t a surprise, then, that the Jazz (42-32) were able to secure a nonetheless needed road win over the likes of Warriors starters Quinn Cook and Kevon Looney, who kept it close for a half but lost steam late. Utah’s starters outscored Golden State’s patchwork starting lineup 32-7 in the pivotal third quarter, when reality finally set in.
The win kept the Jazz in eighth place in the Western Conference standings, just 11/2 games behind four-seed Oklahoma City, which lost earlier Sunday. And they did it by doing the thing that had eluded them in their recent wins over marginal competition: seizing their edge and closing out strong.
“I think we picked it up a little more offensively,” said Rudy Gobert. “We really figured it out they were switching a lot on pick-and-roll, and we had to attack them.”
It was another leading-man performance from Gobert, who started slowly but had a double-double by the third quarter and added four blocks to his 17-point, 15-rebound night. He benefited as the Jazz moved the ball more in the second half to eventually score 46 points in the paint. As a team, Utah had 27 assists, led by eight from Joe Ingles.
Donovan Mitchell capped his 21 points with a 3-pointer near the logo in the fourth quarter — his best Curry impression. It was fitting considering that Mitchell passed Golden State’s sharpshooter on the rookie 3-pointer list, and now with 169 on the season is chasing the record (185) held by Damian Lillard.
“I didn’t know I was close, to be honest, but it’s pretty cool,” Mitchell said. “[Curry is] an outstanding shooter, outstanding player, and to be up there even with him on that list is incredible.”
But the game was just as notable for performances off the bench: Jae Crowder helped carry Utah past a sloppy start, scoring 10 of his 14 points in the first half. Dante Exum had his strongest night since his return from injury, taking Shaun Livingston off the dribble again and again to the tune of 13 points and five assists.
And then of course was the moment a Stockton took the floor for the Jazz: David Stockton got his first floor action since signing his 10-day contract more than a week ago. The son of the NBA’s all-time assists and steals leader and one of Utah’s most iconic players scored two points at the free-throw line in the final minutes of the win.
“David’s worked well and practiced well and has been really connected with our group,” coach Quin Snyder said. “It’s been good to see.”
The Jazz wouldn’t mind emptying the bench more down the stretch if they can win like they did at Golden State. Utah’s next two games come at Vivint Smart Home Arena against the similarly injury-depleted Boston Celtics and the struggling Memphis Grizzlies.
Storylines<br>Utah’s Rudy Gobert scores 17 points, adding 15rebounds and four blocks.<br>Donovan Mitchell scores 21, includingfour 3-pointers.<br>Quinn Cook leads the Warriors with 17 pointson 7-for-15 shooting.
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