Drama king? Curry’s clutch 3-pointer leads Warriors past Jazz, 106-103, for 19th straight win.
Curry hits go-ahead shot in final minute as Warriors weather Utah challenge for 19th win
SALT LAKE CITY — The Warriors’ streak survived a close call. They capped off a November to remember undefeated. Then they fired off warning shots to teams seeking to knock them off the pedestal.
And Stephen Curry didn’t miss.
Curry hit the go-ahead 3pointer with under a minute left and finished with 26 points as the Warriors escaped at Utah with a 106-103 victory on Monday that improved their record to 19-0 and extended the best start to an NBA season.
Rodney Hood responded with a shot that cut the Warriors’ lead to one, but then with a chance to win the game, he missed a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left. Draymond Green grabbed the rebound, and Curry hit two free throws to seal the win.
“Just because we’re (undefeated) doesn’t mean we can just show up and blow teams out or guarantee a win,” Curry said. “We have to actually do something about it.”
So Curry used his crossover dribble to gain separation on Hood and hit the game-winner
with 51.9 seconds left. He came to the Warriors sideline seeking to celebrate. So he turned to team security manager Ralph Walker and screamed, “That’s what I’m talking about!”
“He’s too stoic,” Curry said of Walker afterward, smiling.
The Warriors’ streak of 23 straight regular-season wins dating back to last season is now the third-longest in NBA history.
Without an injured Harrison Barnes and with Andrew Bogut on the bench having fouled out, the Warriors grinded out the win to start their seven-game trip, which thrilled interim coach Luke Walton.
“The other teams know that when we come to town, you’re going to have to take it from us,” Walton said. “We’re going to compete, and we’re still hungry. Nothing’s going to be given away here.”
The Jazz missed its chance. Utah took a 90-87 lead in the fourth quarter, but with the crowd on its feet, Curry checked back into the game with 6:36 left and immediately hit a game-tying 3-pointer.
Shaun Livingston then hit his first 3-pointer with the Warriors — in his second season with the team — to give them the lead again, making it 11 shots from long distance in as many NBA seasons played. Livingston added a jumper that gave the Warriors a 95-92 lead.
“The games get close, and you can see the calmness in our guys,” Walton said. “They don’t shy away from it, and it’s not just Steph. It’s everybody.
“The confidence is spread throughout everyone on our team. The more pressure, the bigger the moment, the more comfortable our guys feel.”
After Derrick Favors’ 3-point play gave the Jazz a 99-97 lead with 2:06 left, Curry tied the score with a step-back jump shot, and Green gave the Warriors the lead with a putback that had him pounding his chest.
“I think everybody’s just gotten used to us beating teams by 20 and then we have a close game,” said Green, who had 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. “We’re not surprised. We know that that’s going to happen throughout the course of the season, but I think we responded well.”
Playing their third game in four nights, the Warriors were energized by the hot shooting of reserve guard Ian Clark, who over a three-minute stretch in the second went 4 for 4 from 3-point range. His 12 points at halftime were the most of any Warriors player.
“Guys feel like they’re a part of something on our team,” the Warriors’ Andre Iguodala said. “Ian as soon as he got here, he felt like he was a part of something, so he’s playing at a really high level.”
The Jazz, the team that waived Clark eight months ago, wouldn’t go away despite trailing 53-48 at halftime and falling behind by as many as 11 points in the third.
Utah cut the Warriors’ lead to two points before Curry and Klay Thompson responded with back-toback 3-pointers. Trevor Booker had a steal and dunk in the fourth that cut the lead to one point, as did Rudy Gobert’s one-handed dunk off a lob. Two Favors free throws gave the Jazz an 88-87 lead after he drew a foul that was the sixth personal for Bogut.