Game 75 in an 82-game season and the Warriors are still fighting, scraping to pull off a win and keep their march towards history onward.
Down by three in Utah with 20 seconds left in the game, the Warriors had one shot left to send the game into overtime. And as the season has proved, a shot is all the Warriors need to make the most of a situation.
Klay Thompson nailed a second attempt three-pointer with 15 seconds left in regulation, and Draymond Green blocked a would-be game winner to send the game into overtime where the Curry-led Warriors would muster up just enough to steal a game in Utah and go on to win 103-96.
Warriors take the W! Golden State continues the best start in NBA history, escaping the Jazz in OT, 103-96. pic.twitter.com/zjbk7Xj1Fu
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 31, 2016
Reigning MVP Steph Curry led the way with 31 points (5-10 from three) and 7 rebounds for a Warriors team that has had to kick their grit into a higher gear in recent games against opponents who are trying to knock them off the rails of history.
Utah was in control for most of the game and led going into the fourth quarter, but allowed the Warriors to stay in the game due to their inability to knock down free-throws; the Jazz went 13-29 (44.8 percent) from the charity stripe.
In overtime the two teams traded baskets for the first three minutes until Curry decided to take matters into his own hands.
Curry rattled in a tough floater and followed it up with an outstanding defensive play, catching Gordon Hayward on an offensive foul before setting up Draymond Green with a monster flush that put the cap on Utah’s chance of pulling off an upset.
The Jazz shot 42 percent from the field in Wednesday night’s matchup and were led by their rising star Gordon Hayward who had 21 points.
With each game that goes by, the reality of these Warriors surpassing the 1995-96 Jordan-led Bulls’ regular season record is becoming a spectacle all sports fans are tuned into.
“I’ve said many times over the years that I didn’t think that (Bulls) record would be broken, and it still may not be,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We have a tough finish still to go in the last games. To be part of both situations is unreal. It’s a pretty good stroke of fortune.”
Much credit needs to be given to the Warriors Swiss Army knife Draymond Green . After Wednesday’s game Green became the first player in NBA history with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists, 100 steals, and 100 blocks in a season. Those stats alone illuminate his hand in the Warriors’ ability to have such a historic season as a team.
As @warriors continue their quest for 73 wins in #GSWatUTA at 9pmEST on #NBALeaguePass , here’s a quote from Steph… pic.twitter.com/0CiVXNI7V6
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) March 31, 2016
Golden State now takes their show back home (where they hold a 58-game winning streak that dates back to last season) for a four-game stretch which includes two games against teams that have the good fortune of beating the Warriors this season (Portland and San Antonio).
The Jazz will stay at home and host the playoff-bound Boston Celtics this Friday. With seven games remaining in the regular season for the Jazz, they sit in an eighth-place tie with the Dallas Mavericks, but hold the tie-breaker.
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
