Warriors vs. Jazz: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2015 Regular Season
The Golden State Warriors won again. Barely.
Thanks to a game-high 26 points from Stephen Curry, the defending NBA champions survived a huge scare from the Utah Jazz on Monday, winning 106-103 at Salt Lake City's Vivint Smart Home Arena to improve to 19-0 on the year.
Despite making just 6-of-19 from three-point range, the Jazz kept it close against the Warriors. Derrick Favors' three-point play with 2:06 remaining gave the Jazz an improbable 99-97 lead.
But that was the last time Utah led on this night.
Reigning MVP Curry took over once again and showed why he's one of the most clutch players in the NBA. He hit a step-back 21-foot jumper on the ensuing possession to tie the game at 99 and leaked out on the next possession to ultimately provide Draymond Green a follow-up layup, giving Golden State a two-point lead.
Two more free throws from Favors tied the game at 101 with 1:03 to, and then this happened, per Bleacher Report:
CBS Sports' Zach Harper reacted to the clutch three from Curry:
Despite having seen almost everything from Curry in his career, CBS Sports' Matt Moore reacted accordingly:
Curry's three-pointer with 51.9 seconds left was not only the shot that won the game for Golden State, but it was a record-breaking shot. That three was Curry's 76th of the month of November, which set a new NBA record for most threes in a month—the last record also set by Curry with 75 back in March of this year, per Elias Sports Bureau (via SportsCenter).
There may be no player in the NBA with the ice water in his veins like Curry's, and NBA.com's David Aldridge agrees:
The Warriors have now won 23 games in a row dating back to last year, which is also tied for the third-best winning streak in NBA history, per ESPN Stats & Info. They now only sit 10 wins back of the record 33-game streak set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
Golden State began its seven-game road trip off right, but its 15 turnovers were the reasons why the Jazz kept this close. Gordon Hayward scored a team-high 24 points for Utah, while Favors chipped in 23 points and 10 rebounds.
The Warriors are off until Wednesday, when they travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to take on another strong defensive team, the Hornets. If Golden State wants to keep this winning streak going, it can't afford another night where it doesn't take care of the ball.
Postgame Reaction
Fortunately for the Warriors, they've only found themselves facing adversity three times this year. The wins over the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers were the toughest challenges for the defending champions, until Monday.
Golden State played a nearly-perfect offensive game by their standards. They shot 48 percent from the floor, made 48 percent of their threes and even outrebounded Utah 45-35.
But it was the 15 turnovers that was the biggest problem for the Warriors, as well as allowing 46 points in the paint, much like this alley-oop from Hayward to Rudy Gobert, per B/R:
Yet, somehow, the Warriors keep finding ways to win.
"We've had some battles and, obviously, we've had some lopsided victories," Curry said, per the Associated Press. "But what gets lost in the record is the tough games we've had to claw our way out of like tonight. Just because we are 19-0 doesn't mean we can just show up and blow teams out and guarantee a win, we actually have to do something about it."
No matter how deep of a hole the Warriors have dug themselves in, Curry finds a way to pull them back out. The Warriors couldn't have asked for a better month of production from Curry, as he became the first player ever to average 30 points, five rebounds and five assists for a team that didn't lose a game in an entire month, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Curry has already put a stamp on a second straight MVP campaign, and we just got to December.
But none of that would have been a reality had Rodney Hood made the potential game-winning three-pointer with time running down, with the Jazz needing a two to take the lead. Hood got a great look from the right wing, but to no avail.
"Outside of a layup or an uncontested shot, that's a pretty good look." Jazz coach Quin Snyder said, per the AP. "That's a good shot for him. ... I'll take Rodney Hood with that shot any day."
The loss dropped the Jazz to 8-8, but by recent standards that's a great 16-game start for them. Five players scored in double figures, including 13 points and 11 rebounds from Gobert.
But the Warriors continue to find ways to win, no matter how ugly Through 19 games to start this year, the feeling starts to creep in that they'll never lose.
If they can get through the rest of this road trip unscathed, they won't be losing for awhile.
