SALT LAKE CITY – Donovan Mitchell had 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Utah Jazz routed the Golden State Warriors 127-108 on Saturday night for their eighth straight victory.
Stephen Curry made five 3-pointers for the Warriors to give him 2,562 in his career — passing Reggie Miller for second place in NBA history. Ray Allen is first with 2,973.
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“That’s pretty dope,” Curry said. “We got our head beat tonight, but I was trying to still enjoy it. After I made the third one, I knew that was a big one, and then to make that fourth one in the third quarter was pretty special. Something I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time.”
Mike Conley scored 17 points and hit five 3s for the Jazz, who led by 30 at halftime and opened a 40-point bulge early in the fourth quarter.
Bojan Bogdanovic had 14 points, seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists. Rudy Gobert added 11 points and 14 boards as six Utah players scored in double figures.
Curry finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to lead Golden State. Andrew Wiggins and James Wiseman each scored 13.
Utah shot 52% from the field in the first half. The Jazz had 18 assists on 28 baskets before halftime while committing only four turnovers. They finished with 28 assists.
“It’s something we really love doing,” Mitchell said. “That’s what's special about this team. We love to make the extra pass.”
The Jazz scored baskets on each of their first five possessions to sprint out to a 14-0 lead and made eight 3-pointers in the first quarter. Conley and Royce O’Neale each drained a trio of 3s in the period.
“Utah came out on fire,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “They executed their offense beautifully.”
Golden State trailed from start to finish.
“Our first four possessions we got some decent looks and missed them,” Curry said. “Then they came down, 3-3-3-3, and the rest is history after that. Our identity has to be getting stops — at least making them take difficult shots and trying to get some momentum that then flows into the offensive end.”
Golden State found some footing behind Curry, after missing nine of its first 10 shots. Curry scored four baskets and assisted on five others to help the Warriors cut the Jazz lead to 36-28. Overall, the Warriors made 12 of their final 15 shots in the quarter.
Golden State could not build on that momentum during the second period, though. The Warriors simply could not figure out how to slow down the Jazz as they closed the first half on a 24-8 run. Conley and Mitchell punctuated the decisive spurt with consecutive 3s, giving the Jazz a 77-47 halftime lead.
The Warriors made just six baskets in the second quarter.
“We want to defend collectively,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “I think our guys are seeing it collectively. It’s not one guy’s job. Every guy has to do the job.”
Utah went up 115-75 on a 3-pointer from Jordan Clarkson with 10:05 left.
DROPPING IN
Miller and his son, Ryker, joined the Warriors’ postgame Zoom call to congratulate Curry. Miller praised Curry for putting in countless hours to become such a sensational outside shooter.
Curry revealed how he’s tried to emulate Miller with how he shoots and moves off the ball. He also said growing up around the game as the son of an NBA player helped him develop the right habits to become an effective shooter.
“I have a certain style of playing the game that I love and … I love to put the work in,” Curry said. “And that’s something that I hope people understand.”
TIP-INS
Warriors: Curry passed Miller, who had 2,560 3-pointers, with his first basket of the third quarter. ... Kevon Looney made his second 3 of the season in the third. … Golden State had 30 assists on 42 baskets.
Jazz: Bogdanovic matched his previous career high of seven assists, set in 2016, by halftime. He had a season high of three assists coming into the game. … Mitchell has shot 50% or better from the field seven times in the last eight games. … Utah outrebounded Golden State 69-41, and eight players made a 3-pointer. “When we’re going on both ends, we’re a tough team to play against,” guard Joe Ingles said.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
Jazz: Host the New York Knicks on Tuesday.
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