Warriors’ Troubles Continue, Crushed by Jazz 115-101
By Tej Kamaraju
Feb 19, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson (25) is defended by Golden State Warriors power forward Carl Landry (7) during the second half at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz won 115-101. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
The Warriors thought that their time to end the losing streak was against the Jazz. Unfortunately, however, the streak continues and now piles to 6 games. The last time the Warriors had a win, they were 30-17, but now, they’re 30-23.
Not bad, but the Jazz are catching up quickly. The Warriors need to secure a win soon to end their troubles, otherwise, more trouble. Tonight, the Jazz’s starters overpowered the Warriors for a 115-101 victory.
The Warriors knew their key to the game was to play good defense, and still, they gave up another 115 points. This is terrible for the Warriors, who have their opponents averaging around 117 PPG in the last six contests. We all know what the problem is, but why isn’t it getting fixed?
In the first quarter, the Warriors were having a defensive problem, but their offense also went flat. That meant trouble. They dug an early whole for themselves at 26-19 at the end of the quarter.
In the second, the Warriors’ offense started to pick up a little bit. It was mainly Stephen Curry and David Lee, as well as Jarrett Jack, who were keeping the Warriors in the game. On the defensive end, Bogut wasn’t playing very well, and only finished with 5 rebounds. This is a problem that he was supposed to fix. The offense did come alive in the early-going, but the defense still wasn’t there. The Warriors were able to close the gap 58-53 at the end of the half.
The third quarter, which was supposed to be the best one, was in fact the worst. After the Warriors closed to a 65-64 gap, the Jazz powered their way threw the Dubs and sparked on a 16-6 run which continued into the final quarter, which the Warriors needed to do well in.
Although they were able to close the gap a couple times, i.e getting the lead down to six, the Jazz were able to brush off any attempts that the Warriors made at a comeback. It was a final score of 115-101.
Andrew Bogut failed to do his job: He scored 0 points, had only 5 rebounds, and Al Jefferson had 24 points and 4 offensive rebounds. The rest of the starters should also share the blame too, however, as the Jazz scored 115 points. The Warriors are right back at it tomorrow at home against the Suns, a game that should give their confidence back.