The Utah Jazz Donavon Mitchell (45) is defended by the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) on Sat Jan 23, 2021 in Salt Lake City (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Utah Jazz (12-4) sent a message to the Golden State Warriors (8-8) and the rest of the NBA that they are one of the elite teams in the Western Conference of the NBA. They entered the game with a seven-game winning streak and a record of 11-4. The Jazz improved on that streak extending it to eight with a convincing 127-198 win over the Warriors. 

Their roster includes the two-time defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert. The veteran Michael Conley and Donovan Mitchell form an outstanding backcourt. Royce O’Neale and sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic are the forwards. The Jazz has two outstanding reserves in Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson. 

The Warriors, smarting from the loss to the New York Knicks last Thursday, hoped to start well against Utah Saturday night. Alas, that did not happen. Utah jumped off to an early 14-0 lead. They increased the lead to 17, 19-2 before the Warriors could get the offense working.

The Warriors started putting points on the board. They scored 30 points in the quarter. Their problem was the Jazz scored 39. The Warriors started the second quarter, hoping to get back in the game.

The Jazz had other thoughts. They continued to make three-point shots while the Warriors’ offense floundered. The Jazz outscored the Dubs 38-119 to finish the first half with a 30-point advantage,77-47.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 13 points and made three threes. Curry tied Reggie Miller for second place for most three is a career with 2560. His next three would put him into second place all by himself.

Curry’s first bucket of the third quarter was a three. He now has 2561 threes and is second place for most threes in a career. Ray Allen holds the record with 2973 threes. Curry is on track to break the record in the next two or three years. As for the game, things continued to head south for the Warriors. The Jazz continued to punish Golden State. The led 108-72 with 12 minutes left to play.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr chose to play his reserves for the entire fourth quarter. Utah coach Quin Snyder pulled his starters. The Warriors won the period 36-19, but it was too little, and too late. 

Game Notes and Stats:  Curry led the Warriors with 24 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. He made five threes in ten tries. James Wiseman had 15 points and five boards. Andrew Wiggins 13, Kelly Oubre, Jr. 5. Bench reserves Jordan Poole had 10, Nico Mannion eight, including two threes, and Damion Lee nine.

The Jazz had six players in double figures. Donovan Mitchell had 23, Michael Conley 17, Rudy Gobert 11 points and 14 rebounds, Bojan Bogdonavic14. Joe Ingles knocked down 13, and Jordan Clarkson added 14.

The Jazz connected on 23-point shots. The Warriors made 14. The Jazz outrebounded the Dubs 69-41. With the win, the Jazz are 12-4. The Lakers are 13-4, and the Clippers are 12-4. The Jazz are making a statement that they are to considered an elite team. Time will tell. 

The Warriors are now 8-8 for the year. The Warriors return home to play two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, January 23rd, and Wednesday the 25th. The game time will start at 7 pm at Chase Center in San Francisco.