Klay Thompson had 26 points, Stephen Curry hit five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 25, and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Utah Jazz 129-107 on Monday night sans coach Steve Kerr.
Kerr was in Serbia for the funeral of Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, who suffered a heart attack at a team meal in Salt Lake City on January 16 and died the next day. Kerr, assistant coaches Chris DeMarco and Ron Adams, general manager Mike Dunleavy, team liaison Zaza Pachulia, and club vice president Rick Celebrini were among the mourners.
“We knew this trip was going to be tough all the way around, just the emotions coming back to a place where it happened, but it was definitely weird without Steve,” Curry added. “It enabled us to recognise and applaud what they were doing, where they were, and where they should have been. And then our ability to go out and let the game honor (Milojevic) was impressive.”
Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson led the Warriors (26-25) to their sixth consecutive victory, lifting them above.500.
“It felt odd. Steve is the one who leads us. He is in charge of the workforce. “He led us through a challenging time, and we’ve grown closer as a result,” Atkinson added.
Curry sank a 33-footer to cap a 14-5 run and make the score 114-96. He ended with seven 3-pointers, his third straight game with at least that many.
“The flow of the game tells you a little bit of what’s necessary,” added Curry, who had 10 assists. “They know if I hit a couple shots, they know I’m probably going to keep shooting.”
Thompson scored his highest points since he had 30 against Chicago on January 12.
“When I get cuts to the rim and stay patient from the 3-point line … when I get early looks at the rim, and I got a couple of mid-range jumpers, everything opens up and I think that’s what allowed me to have an efficient night from the field,” Thompson told reporters.
For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins contributed 17 points and Jonathan Kuminga had 14 – his 31st consecutive game in double digits.
Jordan Clarkson got 22 points but only two in the second half. Utah’s Collin Sexton also scored 22 points, while Lauri Markkanen added 19.
“We brought a good level of physicality into the game and kind of set the tone for the whole team,” said Draymond Green, who led the Warriors’ defensive effort with 12 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
In the first quarter, the Warriors made seven 3-pointers, including Curry’s pull-up 3 that put them up 28-17.
Utah scored on seven consecutive possessions to take the lead, but the Warriors took a 63-55 advantage at halftime on Green’s 41-foot heave shortly before the break.
The Jazz’s new starting lineup proved unproductive after losing key players Simone Fontecchio, Kelly Olynyk, and Ochai Agbaji last week, largely for draft picks.
“We obviously have a lot of work to do in terms of cleaning up some of the guys’ roles and trying to help them understand how they can help each other,” Will Hardy, Utah’s head coach, said. “Our first group was the one that ultimately didn’t play great tonight.”
