SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 14 seconds left, moments after missing from deep, and scored 36 points to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Western Conference-leading Utah Jazz 119-116 on Monday night to keep hold of the eighth seed in the playoff race.
Jordan Poole’s Curry-like 52-footer at the third-quarter buzzer went to replay review and stood, giving Golden State an 89-75 lead and serious momentum going into the final 12 minutes before Utah’s furious comeback effort in the closing minutes.
Curry, coming off a 49-point performance with 11 3-pointers in 29 minutes in Saturday’s 136-97 thumping of the Thunder, wasn’t nearly as sharp — but his supporting cast did plenty to take the pressure off. Curry went just 1 of 5 from deep in the first half then wound up 11 of 25 from the floor overall and 3 for 13 on 3s.
Jordan Clarkson scored 41 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 27 for a Utah team still missing injured All-Star guards Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley.
ADVERTISEMENTPoole finished with 20 points off the bench, Kent Bazemore scored 19 and Kevon Looney grabbed 13 rebounds to give him double figures on the boards in three straight games for the first time in his career.
Mychal Mulder’s 3 with 4:55 left in the third put the Warriors up 71-63 and Golden State got a stop on the other end. Bazemore converted a three-point at 3:57 for a 74-63 advantage before Bogdanovic immediately answered with a 3, was fouled and converted the free throw.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr addressed the magnitude of this game for his team, which is playing its final six games at home in Chase Center.
“It’s going to be a fun night. They’ve got a great chance to secure the one seed, which I’m sure they’d love to get, so that means they’ve got to play well this week,” Kerr said. “And we’re still fighting for the best possible seed that we can get.”
NCAA CHAMPS
Hall of Fame Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer and her NCAA champion Cardinal team were in attendance and recognized on the big screen during a first-quarter timeout. Highlights were shown and Warriors coach Steve Kerr offered a congratulatory message to friend VanDerveer.
“It’s been amazing. We are all such Warrior fans,” VanDerveer said. “It’s great to be here. It’s really great that their team is recognizing our team, too.”
TIP-INS
Jazz: The Jazz shot 13 for 44 from deep on the night. ... Utah’s nine first-half turnovers led to 15 points for Golden State. ... The Jazz are 9-10 on the road vs. the Western Conference with two games remaining, at Oklahoma City and Sacramento.
ADVERTISEMENTWarriors: Draymond Green’s technical foul at the 4:10 mark in the third didn’t end up costly. ... F Damion Lee, Curry’s brother-in-law who contracted COVID-19 despite being vaccinated, was back on the court shooting for the first time, an encouraging step for Kerr and everybody to see in his recovery. Lee watched from the baseline table. ... F Eric Paschall continues to progress in his recovery from a strained left hip flexor and Kerr spoke to him today, remaining hopeful Paschall might play this week. He played 3-on-3 again Monday. “We’re hopeful he will be back before the end of the regular season but we’ll see,” Kerr said. ... Golden State has won two in a row at home.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host Portland on Wednesday in Utah’s final regular-season home game. The Jazz have won the last three with the Trail Blazers and also three in a row at home.
Warriors: Host the Suns on Tuesday night in their final set of back-to-backs. Golden State has lost the last two against Phoenix.
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