Warriors 106, Jazz 103

The Warriors prevailed 106-103, in what could have been a preview of a playoff matchup in April.

In Los Angeles, Blake Griffin scored 23 points, DeAndre Jordan had a season-high 24 rebounds along with 18 points, and the Clippers defeated Portland.

ALDRIDGE: Yeah, I’m sure some people think that.

Barnes said he’s good with the plan to be cautious about getting back. That’s a credit to the team’s confidence in its identity as a bruising, interior-focused team at a time when that approach has often been called outdated. Right now they’re the 7th seeded team in the Western Conference, a spot they don’t plan to give up easily. Defensively, the Warriors yield 99.8 points against the opposing teams.

Golden State’s trio of reigning league MVP Stephen Curry, sharpshooter Klay Thompson and do-everything forward Draymond Green-who leads the team in rebounds and assists-fuels the highest-scoring offense the National Basketball Association has seen in more than 20 years. Two free throws by Curry with 2.4 seconds left sealed the victory. As for the Jazz, Derrick Favors will be back in the lineup after missing the game against New Orleans due to personal reason. “Had a shot at the end”. “We played hard and gave it our best shot”.

It will be a tale of two tempos, as the fast-breaking Warriors (ranked third in the league in possessions per game) take on the slow-paced Jazz (29th).

Nevertheless, the Jazz still had a chance to win in the closing seconds.

Gordon Hayward led Utah (8-8) with 24 points. Rajon Rondo had 21 points, and Rudy Gay added 20 for the Kings, who had dropped six straight to Dallas and 21 of the previous 23 meetings. Heck, you can even roll the dice with Alec Burks who is a late game scorer.

The Warriors (-365) are eight point road favorites tonight in Utah (+305). BetOnline lists the over/under at 201.5 total points, which is the second smallest total point line for the Dubs this season.

– Most of all, the Jazz didn’t fold when they fell behind by 11 in the third quarter and they had the ball with a chance to deliver a knockout blow in the final moments. “It was a tough environment against a team that plays the style they do. You have to tip your hat off to them”.

And that’s the difference between beating the best team on the planet, a team with the best player, a team that is now 19-0, and tasting the bitterness of defeat – for the eighth time now. Warriors maintained their flawless start to the season intact and successfully equalled Houston Rocket’s record in 2007-2008 with 22 consecutive regular-season win.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are leading the Central division standings and they are 13-4 ahead of the Indiana Pacers.

The Golden State Warriors hope to improve to a ridiculous 19-0 this season.

Thing is, if you’re good enough to make the count 104-103 with 16 seconds left and the ball in your hands, aren’t you good enough to win? “They hit a lot of shots”, Warriors guard Shaun Livingston said. According to si.com, he’s also averaging a career-best 2.4 steals per contest while posting a defensive rating of 97, the best he’s ever recorded.