The Golden State Warriors leaned on an excellent goal from Stephen Curry to secure a 123-114 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at Chase Center. The win moved Golden State to 19-17 and helped erase the sting of a lopsided loss a night earlier.
Curry finished with 31 points and six 3-pointers in his return after a one-game absence due to a sprained left ankle. The guard had his biggest impact in the third quarter, scoring 20 points on 6-for-7 shooting.
Golden State regained control midway through the period. Curry buried a lead of three with 7:01 to go and followed it with another triple on the next possession.
Jimmy Butler returned after missing Friday’s game due to illness and provided balance with 15 points and seven assists. His presence stabilized the offense after the Warriors played short-handed in a 37-point loss in Oklahoma City.
Draymond Green was also back in the lineup, but saw limited action. He was ejected with 2:25 left in the second quarter after picking up consecutive technical fouls while pleading for a three-second violation.
Green finished with eight points, three rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes. The forward now has nine technical fouls to his name this season and is seven away from an automatic one-match ban.
Utah kept the pressure on Golden State after a strong performance by Lauri Markkanen. The forward scored 35 points and shot 9-for-12 in the first half, good for 21 points before the break.
Keyonte George added 22 points and nine assists for the Jazz, who played without center Jusuf Nurkic for the second straight season due to a sprained left toe. Utah has lost three straight and seven of its last nine.
The Jazz took advantage of the turnover to stay within striking distance. Golden State has run 15 giveaways, leading to 22 Utah points.
Quinten Post provided a productive evening in the frontcourt for the Warriors. He scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting and knocked down three 3-pointers.
Golden State shot 42 percent from beyond the arc and finished 19 of 45 from long range. Utah connected on 13 three-pointers but couldn’t match the Warriors’ perimeter volume.
Utah heads to Portland on Monday evening to continue its road trip. Golden State visits the Clippers on Monday and is looking to build momentum above .500.
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