The Warriors are known for their classic third quarter outbreaks, where they completely annihilate teams after halftime. Wednesday night was no different, with the Warriors pouring on 42 points on the Jazz. However, Head Coach Steve Kerr was more pleased with the defensive play of the Warriors during that stretch.
“I thought the defense in the third quarter was tremendous, triggered our offense,” Kerr said. “There was a different energy in the building in the second half.”
Kevin Durant scored 21 Points, Draymond Green nearly had a consecutive triple doubles, Patrick McCaw had a season-high 18 Points, and Swaggy P couldn’t miss in the second half. This culmination of offensive and defensive execution resulted in the Warriors outscoring the Jazz 42-22 in the third quarter, effectively putting the game out of reach for Utah.
This was the 10th straight game the Warriors played with out All-Star PG Stephen Curry, who is still nursing a sprained right ankle he suffered against the New Orleans Pelicans. Curry is expected to return sometime this weekend.
Without Curry, however, the Warriors haven’t missed a beat, going 9-1 in his absence so far. Kerr said that the absence of their MVP has “redefined the team itself.”
“I love what we’ve become, morphing into this defensive juggernaut,” Kerr said.
The biggest transformation on the defensive side of the ball has to be Kevin Durant. Durant, who has blocked at least two shots in 10 straight games, said the team knew life would be different without Curry, and knew everyone would have to step up on the defensive end.
“Defensively is where we kind of knuckled down because we knew offense was going to be a little tougher,” Durant said. The Warriors have held teams to an average of 95.2 PPG during Curry’s absence. If the Dubs can keep up this level of defensive play, there is no team in the league who can stop them on their quest of back-to-back championships.
For Utah, Rodney Hood had 26 Points and Derrick Favors recorded a double-double, with 17 Points and 10 Rebounds. Star rookie Donovan Mitchell scored 17 Points on 6/17 shooting.
The Warriors continue their home stand with match up against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, while the Jazz travel back to Utah to face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
