The Utah Jazz was defeated 112-107 by the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Wednesday night as they maintained their league-best home record.

 

Golden State fell behind for the game while playing without its key trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins before coming back in a thrilling fourth quarter. They ultimately overcame a ten-point deficit from late in the third by limiting Utah to just 13 points in the final frame.

 

The defense came to life in the final 12 minutes as the undermanned Golden State Warriors won their third straight game to get back to.500.

 

While the Warriors’ shooting woes persisted until the latter third of Tuesday night’s victory over the Charlotte Hornets, Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen threatened to make the difference early on by starting the game with four three-pointers. Golden State shot 3-for-12 from three-point range in the first quarter, while Utah’s 7-for-14 performance propelled them to a 37-27 advantage at the half.

 

The margin was in the double digits until Golden State determined to close the gap toward the end of the half. After Jonathan Kuminga committed his third foul, Patrick Baldwin Jr. unexpectedly received some playing time. In his seven second-quarter minutes, the Warriors rookie made two of his three triples and grabbed three rebounds. They came back from a 12-point deficit to level the game, but Markkanen again posed problems with the game’s final two baskets as the Jazz retained a five-point advantage.

 

In the third, Utah had a chance to blow out the lead, but the Warriors managed to generate enough offense of their own to keep things close. Ty Jerome had some big baskets in the pick-and-roll with James Wiseman to end the period, similar to the Christmas Day game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

 

The Warriors were down six when they entered the fourth quarter, but three straight three-pointers from Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, and Baldwin gave them the lead at 97-96. That was only momentarily sustained, though, as they went without scoring for the next four minutes before bursting once more with a 10-0 run that gave them their largest lead of the game—six—with less than four minutes remaining.

 

Golden State’s offense cooled off again, but Green’s defense stood up with a few enormous shots blocked. With 24.5 seconds left, Jordan Clarkson trimmed the margin to two, but Donte DiVincenzo restored it to four with two crucial free throws. No replay of the Warriors’ collapse in Utah earlier this month was to occur; instead, they held on to win by five points, adding another achievement to their young players’ resumes.

 

While Green and Kevon Looney combined for 12 points, 21 rebounds, and ten assists, Poole finished with 26 points, DiVincenzo had 19, and Jerome had 17. Kuminga scored nine points, four rebounds, and three assists before fouling out in his most impressive minutes of the season, while Baldwin joined Jerome in double digits off the bench with 11 points and four rebounds.

 

It demonstrates that the Warriors, who are currently unable to lose on their home court, have yet another crucial victory. For another critical contest against a competitor from the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers visiting Chase Center on Friday, they should regain Thompson and hopefully Wiggins.