Warriors beat Jazz 103-85 to remain unbeaten at home
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) is defended by Utah Jazz’s Trey Burke (3) and Rodney Hood during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015, in Oakland, Calif. Golden State won 103-85. AP
OAKLAND, California—Klay Thompson scored 20 points, Stephen Curry added 16 with nine assists and the Golden State Warriors remained unbeaten at home this season with a 103-85 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
Andrew Bogut added 10 points and 13 rebounds while Draymond Green had 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Warriors (27-1) in their final tuneup before an NBA Finals rematch against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas.
Golden State led by 10 with less than 6 minutes remaining before Curry’s second 3-pointer of the game sparked a 14-5 run to help the Warriors seal the victory. It was their 13th in a row at home this season and the 31st consecutive win at Oracle Arena dating to last season – an ongoing franchise record.
Derrick Favors had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Jazz, who have lost five of seven.
The Warriors controlled the game most of the night despite interim coach Luke Walton mixing up his rotations. At one point early in the fourth quarter, Walton had Thompson playing with the second group while the rest of the starters rested on the bench.
It didn’t seem to matter much.
The defending NBA champions had four starters reach double figures and shot 47 percent from the field.
The Warriors’ defense was equally sharp while forcing Utah into 20 turnovers. They also matched their season high of nine blocked shots – four by backup center Festus Ezeli.
Golden State led by 13 following Andre Iguodala’s 3-pointer early in the second quarter, withstood a 14-4 run by the Jazz, then answered with a big run of its own to pull away before halftime.
