ORACLE ARENA — Friday the Warriors pulverized the Kings. Sunday, the Warriors lit up the Jazz for a consecutive blowout victories at home.
Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson put their most valuable asset on premier display, combining for 64 points in the Warriors 130-102 win over Utah.
Not bad, especially since Warriors coach Mark Jackson said he wasn’t even sure Curry would be in the game.
Shortly before the contest started, Jackson was made aware that Curry was experiencing flu-like symptoms, but Curry made the decision to play.
The way Curry and Thompson cam out of the gate, Jackson said, set the tone for the rest of the game:
“Those guys are special. Steph is obviously a superstar basketball player that has put together an incredible year. Klay continues to develop…He’s a nightmare to try and defend and the league will have to deal with him.”
The Jazz — 27th in the league at defending the three-pointer — allowed Thompson and Curry to go on a tirade. The two combined for 44 of the teams 66 first half points including 9-of-14 from downtown.
Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin said with Thompson and Curry on the floor and in rhythm there’s not much that can be done:
“Curry and Thompson got hot early. They got open looks. Curry came out with the intent of getting them up early and he made the shots.”
The second half was no different. By the end of the third quarter, Thompson had logged a game-high 33 points — his second highest point total for a regular season game — with Curry adding 31 of his own while tying a career-high 16 assists, helping the Warriors to a 101-73 lead.
The Jazz are no strangers to Curry’s abilities, having allowed him 44 points in Utah on Jan. 31 (his third highest career-scoring night). But on that night, the Warriors won by just five points, with a quiet 11 points from Thompson.
Sunday, the Western Conference-worst Utah Jazz provided no answer for the sharp-shooting duo who led the Warriors to an easy and expected win.
Jazz guard Alec Burks finished with 24 points and said after the game he has the ability to guard anybody on the perimeter, but the Splash Brothers were just too much:
“It is tough. I guarded both of them tonight and they are great players. They can really shoot and that is what changed the game. They have that quick release.”
Harrison Barnes continued to show improvement, logging his third consecutive double-digit night with 10 points, the first time he’s done so since early February.
While Andrew Bogut returned to the lineup for the Warriors, David Lee sat his sixth-consecutive game after an MRI showed nerve inflammation in his right leg. Jackson said Lee is day-to-day and will play when he is ready.
The Warriors, now 48-29 overall, continue to hold the 6th seed in the West one and a half games ahead of Dallas and one and a half games behind Portland. Curry said he’s less interested in the teams behind him and more interested in catching the Trailblazers:
“We still feel like we can catch that fifth spot and obviously we play Portland (April 13) and we have five games left to make that happen. That’s a good goal for us.”
Golden State’s last five games start Thursday with their second-to-last home game of the season against Denver at 7:30.
The Warriors moved to a season-high 19 games above .500, the first time they’ve been 19 games above since April 23, 1994. … The Warriors swept the Jazz for the first time in franchise history. … The Warriors exceeded last season’s win total with their 48th win, their most victories since winning 48 games in 2007-2008. … The Warriors scored a season-high 130 points. … The Warriors hit a season-high 17 three-pointers, going 17-of-33 from distance (51.5 percent). … Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 64 points, both scoring at least 30 points in a game for the first time in their careers.
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Last modified April 7, 2014 4:33 pm
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