Warriors’ Curry says calf is fine

Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) dribbles past Utah Jazz’s Alec Burks (10) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015, in Oakland, Calif.

“As you go through the league, you start to try to get to where somebody else is, try to stay there, and the whole competitive environment”.

Now, it’s even more clear that keeping Thompson and not trading for Love was the best decision the Warriors possibly could’ve made, and this decision could’ve certainly been a significant factor in them winning their first title a year ago since 1975.

Andrew Bogut added 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Draymond Green had 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Warriors (27-1) in their final tuneup before an NBA Finals rematch against James and the Cavs on Christmas.

“None of us really (played well) coming out of the gate, ” said Jazz coach Quin Snyder.

At this moment, Steph’s shooting 52% from the field, knocking down 45.3% of his threes, and averaging a league-best 31.8 points per game. The Warriors went 16-for-16 from the free-throw line, the first time this season they achieved that type of perfection in a game….

Golden State had a small lead nearly throughout the game but Utah kept it close with their gritty game play and only lost by three in a 106-103 game.

Despite having a glaring difference in the depth of squad and the stars on the line-up, this match can easily shape up to be one of the more intriguing games of the night. Instead, it shot 41 percent from the field and turned the ball over 19 times.

Bogut also dismissed the Jazz’s attempts to force him from the court when they deliberately fouled him in the second half with the expectation he would miss his foul shots. “It’s a great opportunity for our fans to have five games on Christmas and for our game to continue to get so much exposure, but for us as a team, Friday will not be the end of our season, like it was in June”.

“I thought we were pretty solid on defense most of the game”, Walton said. They withstood a 14-4 run by Utah and answered with a big spurt of their own to pull away before halftime. “I missed my first few shots, and didn’t shoot it with confidence for the rest of the game”. Making it through Tuesday’s practice before handing the reins back to Walton for the morning shootaround Wednesday was an encouraging sign. “It’s just, I’m thinking about it”, he said in reply to a question about whether he’ll wear the LeBron shoes he dons for every game. Perhaps most damning of all, the Warriors are surrendering 108.9 this month, which is just far too much for any contender no matter how prolific their offense is. He finished with 17 points (7-16 shooting), 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 assist. “We had a couple of breakdowns, but that’s going to happen throughout the game”.

Walton is now serving as the interim head coach of the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Bogut was back in the lineup after being limited to 5 minutes against Milwaukee last Friday because of a back strain.

The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a very special NBA Christmas Day.