facebook-pixel

Warriors more concerned with playing well than taking night off against the Jazz

Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Warriors all-star Kevin Durant says he's thinking more about getting Golden State back on track than resting when they play the Jazz Tuesday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) looks up at the score as the Warriors pull away from the Jazz during NBA playoff game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena in Oakland Tuesday May 2, 2017.

Nothing to play for? That’s news to the defending NBA champions.

True, the Golden State Warriors (58-23) cannot affect their seeding. They’re solidly locked in at No. 2, and have been for nearly a month.

But there are two more immediate issues that are concerning to the Warriors: They’re banged up, notably without two-time MVP Steph Curry, and they haven’t played their best basketball lately. So coach Steve Kerr doesn’t have the luxury of sitting his three remaining All-Stars, and frankly, they’re not wishing for any more rest.

“We got one more game, so I don’t know if a day of rest for the last game will help us any,” Kevin Durant said. “Basketball is a ‘feel’ game — a ‘feel good’ game as well. So you want to go out there, feel good about yourself and kinda get in a groove before you take a day or two off. Real hoopers, you just don’t feel right if we don’t play the game.”

The most they can do Tuesday night against the Jazz (47-33) is wreck Utah’s chance at homecourt advantage. The Jazz can clinch the No. 3 seed by winning out, but if they fall to the Warriors, they risk losing a tiebreaker with Oklahoma City, which only has one game remaining against the lowly Memphis Grizzlies.

WARRIORS AT JAZZ<br>When • Tuesday, 7 p.m.<br>TV • ATTSN

Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson will all start, but Kerr said he would “play it by ear” to see how many minutes that trio plays.

Utah is 2-1 against Golden State this season. The last meeting was without any of the Warriors’ All-Stars, but the last time the teams played at Vivint Smart Home Arena, the Jazz whipped the Warriors by 30 points. They were far from a playoff team then, but it was a preview of what was to come: The Jazz are 26-5 since that day.

The Warriors swept the Jazz out of the second round of playoffs last season, but they respect what Utah has done to remain competitive this year. Notably, Green said he would pick Donovan Mitchell as Rookie of the Year (though “in a perfect world,” he said both Mitchell and Ben Simmons would be honored).

“Just guys who got better over the year,” Durant said of the Jazz. “You can just see the growth in the players individually as well as the coaching staff.”