Warriors win 19th straight

Ricky Rubio missed his second straight game with a strained left hamstring. The slow-paced Jazz controlled tempo and generally played the style they prefer, trailing by double digits for all of 14 seconds on the night.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points for the Timberwolves (4-4), who have lost all four home games this season.

Curry then hit two free throws to seal the victory, as Gordon Hayward’s half-court heave at the buzzer fell way short. The Jazz have allowed less than 100 points in 10 of their 15 games this season.

“We knew this was going to be one of the toughest challenges for us”, Warriors interim coach Luke Walton said. With two traditional bigs it will also be hard for Hayward, the team’s best perimeter offensive option, to get space to operate when attacking the basket. Following Charlotte is a matchup with a Toronto Raptors team that played the Warriors extremely tough in Oracle Arena just weeks prior, and a Brooklyn Nets team that took the Dubs an additional five-minute OT period to decide.

The star point guard came up with multiple clutch 3-pointers and free throws late in the fourth quarter to fend off a feisty and young Jazz squad.

Which team stands the best chance of ending the Warriors streak? Curry accounted for 10 of those points, as he hit two 3-pointers and a contested step-back jumper to keep the Warriors on top.

The Golden State Warriors simply refuse to lose and probably don’t remember what it feels like, now with 22 consecutive wins dating back to last season’s NBA Finals, not letting the stubborn and hard Utah Jazz get in their way of their perfection.

Blake Griffin scored 23 points, DeAndre Jordan had 18 with 24 rebounds, and the Clippers (10-8) overcame the third quarter loss of All-Star guard Chris Paul to a rib muscle strain to beat the visiting Trail Blazers for their third straight win. “So coach (Quin Snyder) has faith in us to put the ball in our hands and make plays for ourselves and others, and that’s what we did”.

So far, every game resulted in a win for the Golden State Warriors. Isaiah Thomas scored 16 while fellow starters Jae Crowder and Amir Johnson each added 13 for Boston. Klay Thompson added 20 points as well. Alec Burks scored 19 points off the bench. And Barbosa enjoyed a solid night of shooting, going 8-9 from the floor as he scored 21 points for the team. The last game of a long trip against a struggling team could be a bit of a trap for the Warriors if they are already focused on the plane ride home.

Reggie Jackson scored 31 points, Andre Drummond had 24 with 13 rebounds and the Pistons (9-9) held off the visiting Rockets.

The Hornets held Milwaukee to 36.1 percent over the final three quarters in rallying for an 87-82 win Sunday, their fifth in six games. Houston was never able to get within one possession.