Splash Brothers Finish Strong in Win Over Jazz

Klay Thompson had 26 points and Stephen Curry logged a double-double (25 points, 10 assists) as the Warriors picked up a 129-107 win in Utah on Monday night. The win marked the fifth straight win for the Dubs, matching the team’s longest winning streak of the season.

Although the Splash Brothers carried the scoring load, it was truly a balanced effort. Eight different Warriors players scored in double figures, and the Dubs as a team knocked down 20 3-pointers in the game. Andrew Wiggins was 3-for-3 from distance and had 17 points, Kuminga added 14 and Draymond Green overcame early foul trouble to finish with 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Off the bench, Gary Payton II had 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting and still hasn’t missed a shot through two games since returning from injury, and Trayce Jackson-Davis matched Payton’s 11 points despite not playing in the first half. Podziemski added 10 points in his reserve role.

Early Splash Fest
The Warriors opened the game by hitting eight of their 14 3-point attempts in the first quarter. Seven different players hit a trey in that stretch, and the Dubs used the balanced perimeter attack to take an 11-point lead in the period.

End of Quarter Daggers
Although Utah battled back to briefly move ahead midway through the second period, the Warriors took momentum into the half when Draymond Green rebounded a missed Utah shot and dribbled three times in a dead sprint up the court before launching a shot from half-court. Green released it just before time expired, and the shot swished through the net to give the Dubs an eight-point lead going into the break.

Another key player came at the end of the third quarter, as Lester Quinones picked up a steal and passed ahead to Thompson. The Splash Brother finished with an uncontested layup with 0.1 seconds left on the clock in a period that saw the Warriors add five points to their halftime advantage.

Splash Brothers Put the Game Away
That Thompson bucket to end the third wound up being the first two of nine straight Warriors points for the Splash Brother. Thompson finished the game 11-for-19 from the field with three made 3-pointers, and his 26 points was his highest scoring output since a season-best 30-point effort in Chicago on Jan. 12.

Stephen Curry took the relay baton from Thompson and proceeded to make five 3-pointers in the final quarter, finishing with seven for the game on 16 attempts. Curry has now made 27 threes on 48 attempts over the last three games to bring his league-leading total to 241, over 60 more than the next closest player (Luka Doncic – 180).

Kenny Atkinson Serves as Acting Head Coach
Monday's game marked the first time the Warriors were back in Utah since Assistant Coach Dejan Milojević suffered a heart attack and passed away there last month. Coincidentally, Head Coach Steve Kerr, along with other members of the organization, was in Serbia to attend Milojević's funeral on Monday. In Kerr's place, Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson served as the team's acting head coach for the game.

Up Next 
The Warriors will play their final home game before the All-Star Break on Wednesday as they wrap up their season series against the Clippers. Each of the first three Dubs-Clippers matchups this season has been a "clutch" game, meaning all five games were within five points in the five minutes of regulation, and the home team won all three.

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