Warriors owner Joe Lacob said he hoped his team would go into
the All-Star break with a 28-27 record. Well, the Warriors fell two
games short. But with the way they’ve played lately
— capped by Wednesday’s 107-100 win against the Utah Jazz —
Lacob can’t be too disappointed.
SALT LAKE CITY
Warriors owner Joe Lacob said he hoped his team would go into the All-Star break with a 28-27 record.
Well, the Warriors fell two games short. But with the way they’ve played lately — capped by Wednesday’s 107-100 win against the Utah Jazz — Lacob can’t be too disappointed.
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The gritty, clutch, improbable road victory over the Jazz sent the Warriors into the break with a three-game win streak. Golden State (26-29) has won seven of its past nine.
“This is a big step for us, knowing that this team was desperate,” Warriors coach Keith Smart said of Utah, which had lost 13 of 17. “We were fatigued from last night, and they fought through it and they stayed within themselves.”
Most important, Wednesday’s upset formed a blueprint for how the Warriors will have to play the rest of the way. Golden State will have back-to-back home games after the break, then close the season with 16 of 25 on the road.
Wednesday’s victory was the Warriors’ seventh away from home this season, in 25 tries. It had all the elements of what it takes to be successful on the road. Primarily, the Warriors had a guy who could take over: guard Monta Ellis.
He scored 23 of his game-high 35 points in the second half, 11 in the fourth quarter.
“All you needed was the game to be close,” Smart said. “Keep the game close, and he’s going to make the plays.”
Another part of the blueprint: The Warriors got solid bench play.
Eleven players logged at least six minutes, and Golden State’s bench outscored Utah’s 31-12. Smart even turned to seldom-used forward Brandan Wright and he produced, knocking down all three of his shots in the second quarter.
Reserve guards Charlie Bell and Jeremy Lin gave the Warriors critical minutes for the second consecutive game. Bell was part of a committee of defenders that held Utah point guard Deron Williams to 18 points on 5-for-13 shooting.
Contributions from Bell and Lin were especially necessary because starting point guard Stephen Curry struggled all night with fouls and misfires. He finished with four points on 1-for-7 shooting with five fouls in 21 minutes.
The Warriors, who shot 39 percent in the opening quarter, wound up tied at 48 at the half though just one starter played more than six minutes in the second quarter.
“Our starters, our top players,” Smart said, “they are going to equal out against other team’s best players. Our bench is going to be the key for us in this next push when we come back from the break.”
With the reserves having done their part, Ellis took over in the second half.
Utah led 69-62 midway through the third quarter. But Ellis led the Warriors on a 14-7 run to close the period. He scored 10 during the spurt, including a running 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Warriors into the fourth quarter tied at 76.
That set up another key component to Wednesday’s game, one that will be necessary down the stretch: crunch-time defense.
The Warriors turned it up a notch on that end in the fourth quarter. Having survived Utah’s third-quarter push, and with Ellis rolling on offense, the Warriors had the swagger to get defensive.
Utah wound up making just 7 of 23 shots in the fourth quarter, going 1 for 7 from 3-point range.
With the Warriors up 94-92 inside of four minutes, Ellis knocked in a 23-footer while being fouled. His free throw put the Warriors ahead 97-92. One defensive stop later, Ellis dropped in a finger roll, giving the Warriors a seven-point advantage with 2:38 left.
Golden State was in complete control on the road down the stretch and did what it took to pull it out. Hard to be mad at that.
“We are finally getting some momentum and came close to my goal,” Lacob said. “I really like our guys. They have no quit in them. In the end, that is what you want. This will be a fun All-Star break.”
— Story by Marcus Thompson II, Contra Costa Times
