Utah Jazz vs Golden State Warriors Match Player Stats On Dec 27, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 28, 2017

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kevin Durant ignited a third-quarter runaway with consecutive dunks Wednesday night, propelling the Golden State Warriors to a 126-101 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Durant had 21 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots without playing in the fourth quarter. The Warriors (28-7) improved to 9-1 since Stephen Curry left the lineup with a sprained right ankle earlier this month.

Playing their second road game in two nights, the Jazz (15-21) led by as many as seven points in the second quarter and trailed only 48-47 at halftime after limiting Golden State to just two 3-pointers in the first 24 minutes.

However, Durant and Klay Thompson bombed in a pair of treys apiece in a 42-point, third-quarter explosion, and Golden State finished 11-for-23 (47.8 percent) from beyond the arc for the game.

A hook shot by Derrick Favors had the Jazz within 62-61 in the third quarter before the Warriors ripped off 28 points in the final 6:45 of the period to build a 90-69 advantage.

Durant's back-to-back dunks came early in the 28-8 flurry, during which seven different Warriors hit baskets and Golden State shot 11-for-14.

Patrick McCaw had a season-best 18 points, while Thompson and Nick Young added 15 apiece. They joined Durant among six in double figures for the Warriors, who improved to an NBA-best 12-1 in the month of December.

Thompson's 15 points included three 3-pointers, the first of which allowed him to tie Dana Barros with at least one 3-pointer in 89 straight games, the third-longest streak in NBA history.

Backup Rodney Hood poured in a game-high 26 points to lead the Jazz, who were coming off a 107-83 loss at Denver on Tuesday night.

Favors and rookie Donovan Mitchell added 17 points apiece for Utah, which was swept 4-0 by Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals last May.

Favors completed a double-double with a team-best 10 rebounds.

The Jazz, who fell to 3-15 on the road, managed to stay close in the first half by turning eight Golden State turnovers into 14 points. Favors was the game's leading scorer at that point with 12.

NOTES: Warriors coach Steve Kerr indicated before the game that PG Stephen Curry (sprained right ankle) will scrimmage Thursday and the door is open for the two-time MVP possibly to return to the team for Friday's home game against Charlotte. ... Curry (157) and Cleveland Cavaliers SG Kyle Korver (127) are the only two players with longer streaks of 3-point baskets than Warriors SG Klay Thompson (89) and former Boston Celtics PG Dana Barros (89). ... With his three blocked shots, PF Kevin Durant became the first Golden State player since C Adonal Foyle in 2002 to record two or more blocks in 10 consecutive games.