3 Biggest Takeaways from the Warriors' Win over the Jazz Monday Night

The superhuman Golden State Warriors that we’ve all come to venerate looked surprisingly human on the road against a young and hungry Utah Jazz team that answered the bell.

Unlike in their previous 18 games, the Warriors were pushed to their absolute limit Monday, facing a Jazz squad that had nothing to lose. For the first time this season, the Warriors “escaped” with a win—which is something we haven’t had to say for a while.

A nail-biter from the opening tip, here are the three biggest takeaways from the game.

Jazz’s Length and Size Frustrate Warriors

Facing a superior opponent, the Jazz showed no signs of backing down from a Warriors team that entered the building with an unblemished 18-0 record.

And the Warriors soon found that out the hard way.

Trading the lead for the majority of the final seven minutes, the Jazz’s length and athleticism seemed to irritate the Warriors just enough to keep the game interesting down the stretch.

With just over two minutes to go in the final quarter, the Jazz trailed the Warriors 96-97, but they would quickly take a 98-97 lead off a turnaround jump shot from power forward Derrick Favors.

BBallBreakdown provided a highlight of Favor’s play that put the Jazz up by one:

"

Nice Favors Shimmy And 1 https://t.co/ObVnAtvm0Z

— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) December 1, 2015"

Unfortunately for the Jazz, it would be their last.

With Warriors point guard Stephen Curry leading the charge, the Warriors would go on a 9-5 run to close out the game—extending their winning streak to 19 games.

But now, thanks to the Jazz, future opponents will have a blueprint to try to take down the champs: Hit them hard with speed, size and power, and you might have a chance late in the game to steal a win.

At the very least, the Jazz made the Warriors fight hard for this win, as Jake Weiner of BBallBreakdown pointed out:

"

Jazz made 'em sweat.

— Jake Weiner (@JakeWeinerNBA) December 1, 2015"

Yes they did.

The Warriors Miss Harrison Barnes

Perhaps most noticeably absent from the game was Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes.

Barnes, who’s nursing a left ankle sprain, missed Monday’s matchup against the Jazz and is expected to miss the next two games against the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors, the team announced on Sunday (h/t ESPN).

In 17 games this season, Barnes is averaging a career-high 13.4 points for the Warriors. His athleticism and tenacity on both sides of the ball are key parts of what has helped propel this Warriors team to 19 straight wins.

Backup forward Brandon Rush got the start in Barnes’ absence. Rush scored three points on 1-of-2 shooting in a little over 12 minutes of action.

With Barnes out, the Warriors bench, featuring Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and Festus Ezeli, was called upon to play a larger role. And, for the most part, it was productive.

Ezeli scored eight points on 3-of-3 shooting to go along with his eight rebounds, while Livingston scored nine points on 3-of-7 shooting and grabbed three boards. Iguodala did not take a shot in the game but did put in some quality minutes on the defensive end.

On a night where the Warriors could have used some extra length and athleticism to combat the Jazz’s starting lineup, Utah small forward Gordon Hayward led all Jazz players with 24 points.

Hayward’s impressive game didn’t escape the notice of ESPN editor Ethan Strauss:

"

I don't know what I mean by this, but Gordon Hayward is pitching a nice game

— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) December 1, 2015"

Barnes' size and speed perfectly match up with Hayward’s and would have been instrumental in covering him defensively. Left virtually unchecked, Hayward provided a nice game for the Jazz and worked hand-in-hand with Favors to keep them in the game late.

To be fair, backup guard Ian Clark did come into the game and provide some quality minutes on the offensive end for the Warriors. In six minutes, Clark scored 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor.

Clark’s play had Barnes pumped up, as Barnes tweeted out during the game:

"

Let's go @IanClark !!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥

— Harrison Barnes (@hbarnes) December 1, 2015"

But the Warriors will require the talents of Barnes if they still plan on chasing the 33-game win streak set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.

They showed us that last night.

Warriors Aren’t Done With Jazz Quite Yet

If the Warriors do keep winning—as many expect them to—they will face the Jazz again in a critical matchup at home on December 23. And if the Warriors are 27-0 at that time, this game will carry heavy historical implications.

It would be for No. 28—the second-longest winning streak in NBA history.

So far, the only team to give the Warriors a significant challenge, the Jazz contest will be a must-watch for anyone that calls himself an NBA fan.

Keep in mind that Barnes will likely be back in the starting lineup by then, providing an extra dynamic to the discussion.

Regardless, the Warriors will have to draw up a better game plan to neutralize the Jazz earlier in the game if they hope to extend the winning streak past December 23.

And that’s assuming they can manage to win all of their upcoming games. They still have to play the Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers on the road before they can seriously consider No. 28. But if they do win their next eight games leading up to December 23, be prepared for another matchup like the one we saw on Monday, as the Jazz will have blood in their eyes and revenge on their minds.

The Warriors are on a mission to repeat as NBA champions, but Utah proved last night that it is no slouch. With the way the Western Conference is struggling right now, it’s not implausible to assume the Jazz make the playoffs this year.

And with the way they have been playing of late, they could be a dangerous team for anyone to face come April.