Lowly Jazz play great music in blowing away the Golden State Dubs
Kerr disgusted, Warriors humiliated
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was disgusted by his team's effort in a 30point blowout on Tuesday night. For the Utah Jazz, it was the best win of a disappointing season.
Ricky Rubio scored 23 points and handed out 11 assists as the Utah Jazz stunned the Golden State Warriors 129-99.
"I saw one team get their (tail) kicked," Kerr said. "Our hearts weren't in it. At this level, if your heart's not in it, I don't care how much talent you have. You're going to lose . ... It happens. It's the NBA. It's a long season.
"Our guys will tell you, that was a pathetic effort out there. That was disgusting basketball."
The loss ended a three-game winning streak for the Warriors, who had won seven of eight before facing the Jazz. It was their largest loss of the season.
Utah now has a three-game win streak for just the third time this season.
"When you play against the champs, you always get that extra energy," Rubio said. "But we got to bring it every night. It was a great night to see where our level can be and we got to bring it every night."
Joe Ingles led a 3-point barrage by the Jazz that gave the team a 13-point lead at halftime that was extended to 18 at the end of the third quarter. The Aussie knocked down a career-high six triples, finished with 20 points and the Jazz shot 50.0 percent from behind the arc. Rubio continued his recent run of strong play and tied his season-high assists. Derrick Favors added 18 points and 10 rebounds while rookie Donovan Mitchell scored 20
The Jazz hit a season-high 58.2 percent of their shots from the field, the highest the Warriors have allowed under Kerr.
"Shooting is an equalizer," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "I thought when we came out, Joe Ingles set the tone with the confidence with which he shot the ball.
"You aren't able to beat those guys if you don't shoot it well and we haven't been able to beat them and it's because they're that good."
Rudy Gobert anchored a defense that cut off a lot of Golden State drives to the basket and the Warriors never put together one of those offensive runs that typically buries their opponents.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Blake Griffin bid farewell to the only NBA team he has ever known on Tuesday and readied himself to lead the sagging Detroit Pistons into the playoffs.
The five-time NBA All-Star power forward was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Pistons on Monday night in a deal that also sent Willie Reed and Brice Johnson to Detroit for Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Serbian big man Boban Marjanovic and future first- and second-round NBA Draft choices.
''Needed a night to digest and reflect on what happened,'' The 28-yearold said on Twitter on Tuesday. ''I am so proud to have been part of the success of the Clippers organization.
''Now I'm ready for the next chapter, getting to work and helping the Detroit Pistons make a run in the Eastern Conference.''
Griffin was the 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year and spent eight seasons in all with the Clippers, where he averaged 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 35.1 minutes in 504 games, and made the playoffs for six straight years between 2011-2017.
Injury-plagued Griffin was the 2009 first overall draft pick but missed the 2009-10 season with a broken left kneecap, and he has also suffered back spasms, a torn left quad, a broken hand, a staph infection, knee surgery, a broken toe, a sprained left MCL and a concussion.
''A guy became available who is a great player and we took the opportunity to get him,'' said Stan Van Gundy, the Pistons' coach and president of basketball operations.
Griffin, in the first year of a fiveyear contract worth $173 million, was averaging 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists a game for the Clippers this season.