SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors won 10 of 30 games after starting the season 12-3, a startling fall that has sunk them below .500.
But the Jazz have 10 wins all season.
Utah isn’t particularly interested in winning this season, and that’s even before injuries depleted their roster at Chase Center.
Playing against what resembled a G League roster, the Warriors didn’t need Steph Curry (injury management), Draymond Green (calf) and Jonathan Kuminga (ankle) to outlast Utah. It wasn’t a particularly inspiring win, but a 114-103 victory nonetheless.
Dennis Schroder (23 points) scored his most points in a game as a Warrior and Brandin Podziemski (20 points, seven rebounds, six assists) was stellar, continuing his solid play since returning last week from an abdominal strain. They were two of five Warriors in double figures, overcoming 30 points from Collin Sexton. Golden State (23-23) never trailed after the second quarter, though its lead got hairy in the fourth.
The Warriors fell behind 17-7 in the first four minutes, but finished the first quarter on a 20-10 run. Neither team looked particularly sharp, which wasn’t surprising given the talent level on the floor.
Golden State forced the Jazz into six first-quarter turnovers, but often struggled to convert on the other end. They fumbled a 2-on-1 fast break, Kevon Looney smoked a rip-six layup and Podziemski got called for a travel on what should’ve been a transition and-1.
The most dangerous player on the floor looked like Sexton, the Jazz combo guard who seemed to get to the rim with ease. He scored eight quick points before Steve Kerr summoned Gary Payton II to check him.
The Warriors took control with a 9-0 run to start the second quarter. Podziemski pushed the pace, Quinten Post spaced the floor and Dennis Schroder made an impact.
Sexton was Utah’s only reliable source of consistent offense. He played for stretches alongside Micah Potter, Svi Mykhailiuk and Kyle Flipowski — a two-way player, a partially guaranteed veteran and a 21-year-old second rounder. Sexton dropped 20 points in the first half on 9-for-12 shooting as no other Jazz player cracked double figures.
Podziemski and Schroder powered the Warriors to an 11-point halftime lead, combining for 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting. Without Curry, Green and Kuminga, they picked up the scoring and playmaking slack.
Schroder, shortly after hitting his third 3 and in the middle of one of his most productive games as a Warrior, got helped to the locker room. He immediately grabbed his left knee after landing on a drive. Minutes later, he returned to the bench with his left ankle wrapped in ice. He stretched it out with a band, shedded the wrap and returned to the game before the third quarter expired.
Schroder drained a 3 toward the end of the third quarter then matched his high as a Warrior (20 points) with a soft-touch jumper early in the fourth. His fifth 3 of the game put the Warriors ahead by 11.
Still, the Jazz hung around because the Warriors couldn’t finish in the paint. Post somehow missed a wide open dunk early in the fourth, indicative of Golden State’s season-long struggles at the rim.
The Warriors got outscored 56 to 32 in the paint and shot 16-for-39 (41%) in the lane overall.
A 14-7 run by Utah to start the fourth quarter cut Golden State’s lead to one.
Andrew Wiggins finished an and-1 after he missed a dunk with 4:16 left and shut off a Sexton drive on the other end. Podziemski rattled home a corner 3 in transition to make it an 11-2, momentum-regaining Warriors run.
Even without the Warriors’ three best players, they probably should’ve had less of a scare closing out the Jazz. The real scare arrives in less than 24 hours in the first-place Thunder.