Jazz put it all together against league-leading Golden State


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SALT LAKE CITY — The Golden State Warriors are the best team in basketball.

The record says it, as they have the league’s best record. The roster says it, as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are two of the most-acclaimed players in the entire league. Jazz coach Quin Snyder says it, as he repeatedly praised the Warriors’ organization.

Snyder’s comments were said with good reason, but Utah found a way to overcome the “Splash Brothers,” beating the Warriors 110-100.

Golden State averages 111.1 points a game, and Utah held the Warriors below that mark by double-digits. Golden State was the last team to score over 100 points on Utah at home in a 116-105 Jazz loss on Jan. 13.

Snyder said Utah has improved its defense since then, specifically at home.

“I think we’re taking more pride (defensively) across the whole team,” he said. “I don’t think it’s an identity yet, but that’s certainly something I’d like to see continue to evolve. They’ve worked at it; there’s been a lot of film, and we drill. Sometimes that's monotonous, but our guys have embraced.”

#UJ

Curry and Thompson are elite scorers and score 45.8 points a game between them. Friday, the pair combined for 44 points, with Curry scoring 32 of them.

Snyder said the two players, who were both named All-Stars, provide some of the league’s hardest defensive assignments.

“They force you to guard throughout an entire possession,” he said. “If you don’t guard them in the first seven seconds, and they’re even slightly open, they’re shooting. They’re such a high-percentage shooting team; it makes sense for them to take early looks. That’s overwhelming.”

Utah played good defense against Golden State early, holding the Warriors to a season-low 19 points in the first quarter. The Jazz built on that strong defensive play, holding Golden State to only 43 percent shooting — well below its season average of 48 percent. The team also only made eight 3-point shots, below its average of 10 a game.

The defense was impressive, but there were several offensive highlights for the Jazz. Gordon Hayward finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Hayward, who was dealing with a sickness, said the key to the team’s success was getting into an early rhythm.

“It’s one of those games where we were extremely focused as a team,” he said. “Everybody, defensively, was really good. We got some energy, we got some steals, and we kind of never looked back.

“It was tough playing the other night, but tonight (I) felt a lot better.”

Utah outrebounded Golden State 55-41, and Snyder said Hayward’s rebounding played a large part in the team’s success on the boards.

“He’s always risen to a challenge,” he said. “For us, when Rudy, (Favors) come over to help, your guards have to rebound. It’s been a big point-of-emphasis.”

An interesting side matchup came in the form of two backup centers, as Warriors center Andrew Bogut and Jazz center Rudy Gobert battled against each other. Bogut, a former University of Utah great, is a noted rim-protector, averaging 8.7 rebounds and 1.97 blocks a game.

In the game, Gobert finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Bogut matched with 4 and 4. Gobert also earned a 3-point play against the former Ute in the first quarter, and had several momentum-changing dunks.

Snyder said Bogut provides a good template for Gobert.

“I think it’s a good comparison,” he said between the two players. “Rudy’s got a little feel, and Bogut is on another level. That’s something you acquire over time with experience, but those are some qualities that make him unique. If Rudy can emulate that in some way, (that will be great).”

After the way the Jazz controlled his team, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he is impressed with the direction of the Utah roster.

“They’re a good team,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of good young talent. They play hard; they play together; they run a lot of the same stuff we do. Especially in this building, they’re tough to beat.”

After losing two games at home, Utah looked more controlled and confident, and Trevor Booker best exemplified that. Booker finished with 17 points, and he threw his hands in the air with exclamation after several dunks.

Booker said the team plays best when it plays confidently.

“We definitely had fun,” he said. “It’s always fun when you win. To win in the matter that we did, it’s great.”

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Jon Oglesby

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