The Jazz were welcomed into the Warriors’ building losing four of their last four games, a majority of them coming off double-digit deficits. It was the back end of a back-to-back with their latest loss being a clutch-time heartbreak against the LA Lakers. Dubs came in this game missing three rotational players, including Draymond and Kuminga. They lost their last three games against the Magic, Heat and Blazers, and you knew they were going to come in this game with urgency against an ‘overachieving’
(depending on your definition of overachieving) Jazz team. So were the Jazz going to flip the script? Would they show there was still some more in the tank following dissapointment after dissapointment?
The Jazz witnessed some of their coldest stretches offensively all season, whilst the Dubs kept burying them from deep. They were torched 132-113 and shot a measly 11 of 35 from beyond the arc. This game was out of reach as soon as the second quarter, as Utah were run off the floor offensively.
The Jazz jumped out to an early 11-0 lead over Golden State. The three-ball was their best friend, knocking down their first three triples. But the Warriors went on their own 13-2 run in less than 3 minutes. Jimmy Butler, the third of Franciscoshire, had 7 of their 13 total points. However, that wouldn’t last for long. The Jazz took advantage of the Dubs’ 1-10 drought from deep and poor defensive lapses — Keyonte George torched their bench for 15 points and 2 assists in the first quarter on 5-6 shots.
The second quarter showed the bench relieving the Warriors’ stars. Jazz had a chance to extend their lead without Steph Curry on the floor, but didn’t rise to the occasion. The 21-0 run by Golden State off relentless triple after triple completely slaughtered Utah. Their offense was about as poor as you could expect — they were 0-12 from the floor before they finally made their first field goal at the 6:21 mark. It was the same lesson the Jazz have been taught all season: they’re not going to make any noise in this league until they have a defender on this roster that can keep up with the pace on offense. It’s a concern they give up an inexcusable run to the opponent every single game where they go stone-cold on the offensive end. It’s been especially prevalent this season. They were killed on the glass in minutes without Nurkic, and they were only slightly better in the minutes with him on the floor. The Dubs killed the Jazz on the glass, finishing with an advantage of 28-22 on the boards, 8 of them being offensive. Keyonte was really the only player who could get it down the nylon in the first half, rolling with 21 points once the quarter concluded. Lauri, or really anyone else, haven’t been able to step up for him.
The Warriors’ plan remained simple: keep disrupting Lauri and keep the pace of the game in their favor. Lauri ended up on the floor multiple times. This was one of his most physical games yet. They started the third quarter with Markkanen at the 5, playing alongside Keyonte, Brice, Svi and Kyle Anderson. It was another rattling cold quarter from Utah’s end; they continued to shoot a measly 9-21 from the floor in those condensed 12 minutes. Stephen Curry did what Stephen Curry does. He subbed out the third quarter with 26 points, 14 of them coming in the third.
Though Will Hardy refused to waive the white flag and let his guys keep playing through the blowout.
Ace Bailey played through it all: he finished the fourth quarter, tying his career-high of 21 points, and 11 of those came in garbage time when the victor had already been decided. Keyonte George continues to impress with a 28-6-7 performance, but no one else was there to show up for him. It continues to bewilder me how he puts up these monstrous stat lines no matter how badly the team is getting beaten.
The narrative was clear tonight: The Jazz need to find that guy on perimeter defense. Whether it’s now or draft night. Too often they’re giving up ludicrous runs to their opponents that they simply have no answer for. Cody? Can’t keep up offensively. Hendricks? A giant question mark. They’ve finished bottom of the league in defensive rating for two consecutive seasons. A third time would be a major concern with all the draft picks they’ve burned through. Of course, they’re missing their defensive anchor, Walker Kessler, due to season-ending shoulder surgery, but there hasn’t been an expansive piece outside of that.
As they now embark on a four-day hiatus, how will the Jazz fare against an increasingly challenging schedule? After an NBA Cup finale against Sacramento, they played two straight matches against a strong Houston team — two of the next three teams after that include New York and OKC. Jazz fans had a strong reaction to an early five wins in November, but the team just doesn’t have the firepower to match the intensity of their upcoming calendar.
Jazz finish NBA Cup action, looking to conclude with at least one win against the Sacramento Kings on November 28th at 7:30 PM MST.
