In an article published by The Ringer’s Logan Murdock on Monday, Stephen Curry was quoted as saying, “when we’re locked in, we win.” Well, the Golden State Warriors have been locked in over the past few weeks, and it’s beginning to yield wins on the floor.
The Warriors entered Utah on Monday night having won six of their past seven games, with their hot form continuing in a wire-to-wire demolition of the Jazz at Delta Center. Golden State led by eight after each of the first two-quarters, by 13 at the end of the third, and ultimately blew away their opponents in the fourth for a 129-107 victory.
The Golden State Warriors have won their fifth-straight game, moving over a .500 record for the first time since late December
A couple of days out from Valentine’s Day and the Warriors were eager to share the love on Monday night, with eight players scoring in double-figures across a team-orientated performance against their Western Conference rivals.
The biggest positive came in the way of Klay Thompson who after a lean patch across two weeks, bounced back to form with a game-high 26 points on an efficient 11-of-19 shooting. The 34-year-old was particularly effective from inside the arc, taking advantage in the mid-range which included 10 points in the fourth-quarter.
Fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry also staved off any Utah comeback effort, drilling five threes in the final period to finish with 25 points, six rebounds and 10 assists after his thrilling game-winner against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.
While the game wasn’t entirely over until the final four or five minutes, Golden State appeared in control for the majority. Their momentum included an extraordinary running three from Draymond Green at the half-time buzzer, with the veteran continuing his strong impact with a pair of threes to finish with 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
While much of the storyline has been around Curry not having enough support this season, the Warrior offense was irrepressible with too many options for the Jazz to combat.
Golden State shot 48% from the floor and 45.5% (20-off-44) from three-point range. Andrew Wiggins nailed all three of his attempts from beyond the arc, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and as a game-high +31 in 28 minutes.
Jonathan Kuminga was less efficient but still had 14 points, while Gary Payton II continued his perfect shooting from Saturday with another 11 on 4-of-4 shooting. Brandin Podziemski had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, but it was fellow rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis who made a major statement late in the game.
The young center didn’t play at all in the first-half, yet finished with 11 points and four rebounds in nine second-half minutes. The rotation between he, Dario Saric and Kevon Looney continues to be intriguing, with each of the trio playing between nine and 12 minutes.
The Warriors have now moved to 26-25 on the season, the first time they’ve been over .500 since a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on December 23. They’ll face another big test when they host the LA Clippers at Chase Center on Wednesday night.