Even after his Golden State Warriors scored 42 points in the third quarter on Wednesday night, coach Steve Kerr was most pleased with their defense.
“I thought the defense in the third quarter was tremendous, triggered our offense,” Kerr said. “There was a different energy in the building in the second half.”
Kevin Durant scored 21 points and Draymond Green flirted with his second straight triple-double as the Warriors used that big third quarter to zoom past the Utah Jazz 126-101 for their 13th win in 14 games.
The game was the 10th straight the defending NBA champions played without two-time Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry, sidelined by a sprained right ankle.
The team redefined itself, and won nine of them, Kerr said.
“I love what we’ve become, morphing into this defensive juggernaut,” he said.
Durant, who blocked three shots and has swatted at least two in 10 straight games, said the team knew life would be different without Curry.
However, the Warriors held teams to an average of 95.2 points during the stretch.
“Defensively is where we kind of knuckled down, because we knew offense was going to be a little tougher,” Durant said.
Durant added that he expects Curry to be back soon.
Curry was scheduled to scrimmage five-on-five yesterday and is to be evaluated today before the Warriors’ game against Charlotte.
“I see the look in his eyes and I know he’s ready to play,” Durant said.
The game was the first between the teams since the Warriors’ four-game playoff sweep in the Western Conference semi-finals last spring, winning each game by double digits.
Green finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in three quarters, two nights after tying the franchise career record with his 20th triple-double.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder was not surprised by the way Golden State came out after halftime.
“They’re the best team in the league in the third quarter,” he said. “We didn’t turn it over, but we had some breakdowns. They’re a team, if you make a mistake, they’ll make you pay.”
The Warriors’ 42-22 margin in the quarter marked the fifth time this season they have outscored an opponent by at least 20 points in the third period.
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