OAKLAND – Huge third-quarter runs have been a staple for the Golden State Warriors during the 2017-18 campaign. But with all four All-Stars sitting out against the visiting Utah Jazz (did ya hear?), the defending champs got a taste of their own medicine on Sunday night.
The Warriors entered the locker room down six points after a Nick Young driving lay-up. They walked to the bench at the end of the 3rd down 24 points, as the Warriors only managed 18 points what’s been their strongest quarter of the season.
That was all she wrote Sunday, as the Jazz cruised to a 110-91 win.
This isn’t the only time Utah has blown out Golden State this season. Back at the end of January the Jazz blew out the Warriors by 30 points, a night after Steph Curry and company made headlines after knocking the Salt Lake City #nightlife scene.
Currently Utah sits in the 8th seed of the Royal Rumble that is the bottom half of the Western Conference standings, a seeding that seems to change by the minute. There’s a decent chance this is the team the Warriors will meet in the first round of the playoffs.
The biggest news of the day happened before the start of the game, when Steve Kerr said there was “No way” that Stephen Curry will play in that first round series. Curry was diagnosed on Saturday with a Grade 2 MCL sprain, and will be re-evaluated three weeks from that diagnosis, two days before the playoffs start.
Once the action on the court started, it was the Donovan Mitchell show. His 21 point/ 6 assist/ 2 rebound statline won’t tell the tale. The rookie was all over the court Sunday, showing why he’s a frontrunner for this year’s Rookie of the Year award.
when your hall of famers are gone ? pic.twitter.com/bNCPtb5ioD
— Ravi (@kidravi) March 26, 2018
The Warriors didn’t exactly light up the box score either. The bench faired better than the starters did, with Andre Iguodala leading the way for 12 on a 4-for-7 shooting night.
It was a rough night for those that started the game on the hardwood. JaVale McGee ended as one of the team’s leading shot taker (12), but only finished with 8 points. Nick Young also failed to break double digits despite taking 14 shots.
One bright spot of the evening was Damian Jones getting his first bucket of the season. The Vanderbilt product has had a disappointing season, spending most of his time down in Santa Cruz. He got meaningful minutes Sunday with the obvious lineup omissions, and finished with six points.
The Warriors will attempt to put this one behind them when they host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. Draymond Green was a late scratch Monday, so there’s a chance the team will get at least one of their stars back for that one. Ball tips at 7:30 p.m. PT.