Utah raises the wall, Golden State crashes. And the Jazz dance again

You can not pass. Steph Curry tries in every way, with very high dishes and impossible angles. Yet against the wall that Utah raised under the basket thanks to the towers of him, Hassan Whiteside and Udoka Azubuike, there was no way to pass. In Salt Lake City ends the golden series of the Warriors, who after 9 consecutive victories crash 111-85 against the wall in Utah. The Jazz have made a masterpiece, mainly defensive since, despite the absence of Rudy Gobert (“I’ll be back in a few days”, assures the Frenchman), they kept the crackling attack of the Warriors at 35.9% shooting. And they are back to dance: the one with Golden State is the fourth victory in a row, which definitively cancels the black January with 12 defeats in 16 games and relaunches the Jazz for the upper districts of the Western Conference.

Stop

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Hassan Whiteside is the secret of Utah’s success (34 won-21 lost so far). When he’s on the pitch, Golden State simply doesn’t pass. The reserve center of the Jazz makes sure of it personally, with 7 blocks and 17 rebounds. Even Udoka Azubuike manages to do it, normally third center but from 7 games replacement for Gobert in the quintet. Golden State has no solutions, is limited to 20 points in the area (shooting with 43.5%, while the Jazz close with 48 points with 68.6%) and loses the pace.

Utah built fourth place West this year on the effectiveness of her attack, but this defense was applause. In attack, however, Snyder’s team did nothing special, closing with 46.1% from the field and with 6 players in double figures. The most productive was Bojan Bogdanovic, 23 points. Donovan Mitchell, the man of the turning point for the Jazz (the 4 victories in a row all came after his return from the stop for concussion), finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. The 44 points of the bench were fundamental, winning the challenge with the reserves of the Warriors.

To hi

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Golden State (41-14) never figured out how to overcome the Utah wall. Perhaps it would have served a perfect match of Steph Curry, who instead stopped at 16 points with 5/13 shooting. Maybe some inventions by Klay Thompson would have been needed, which Steve Kerr has kept aside as Salt Lake City for the Warriors is the first of two games in 24 hours and the Splash Brother, although it is making enormous progress after two years. of stop, has not yet the ok for a similar effort.

The Warriors scored 31 points in the first quarter and 54 in the next three, finishing with just 28 shots to target including 16 from three. Nobody is saved from the mediocre test, neither Jordan Poole with his 18 points nor the rookie Jonathan Kuminga. A bad game, one of those that happen during the season, but from which to look for a valuable lesson in case the crossing with the Jazz reappears in the playoffs.

The match

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The initial 13-0 of Golden State is a sort of window on an alternate reality, like the first quarter in which the Warriors finish 31-30 ahead, shooting with 52.6% from the field. Whiteside begins to raise the wall and the Jazz defense takes over. Snyder’s attack did not enchant and Utah led 55-49 at half-time, despite Golden State’s 18 points with 7/24 shooting. Curry signs the 8-0 Warriors at the start of the second half, but Utah changes his skin after a timeout: in the 9 ‘that remain in the third quarter he overwhelms the guests 24-8 and definitively takes control of the match, spreading up to +30 in the fourth period.

Utah: Bogdanovic 23 (4/9 from two, 3/7 from three, 6/6 free throws), Mitchell 14, Conley 13, Clarkson 13. Rebounds: Whiteside 17. Assists: Mitchell 8.

Golden State: Poole 18 (2/6, 3/8, 5/5 tl), Curry 16, Wiggins 13. Rebounds: Looney 7, Curry 7. Assists: Wiggins 4.