The Golden State Warriors shattered another historic record as they earned their 45th straight home victory in their 119-113 win over the Orlando Magic Monday night. The Warriors’ newly earned record will be put on the line as they welcome the Utah Jazz to Oracle Arena Wednesday night. The Jazz will look for a win Wednesday not only to help them in the race for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference, but also as an opportunity to get their first win against Golden State as the current season series stands 2-0 in favor of the defending champs.
Make no mistake, the Warriors and Jazz have battled back-and-forth over the course of this season despite where the regular season series record currently stands. Utah’s core group of young players have matched well with Golden State’s lineup and at times have given them a run for their money.
For the Jazz to come away with a victory tonight, they’ll need to have confidence and remind themselves of their ability to go toe-to-toe with Golden State. For the Warriors to notch their 46th straight home win, they’ll need to pay attention to detail, avoid the turnovers, and utilize the advantage that propelled them to success, their home crowd.
Utah: Resiliency
In the first matchup between these two teams, the Jazz nearly ended the Warriors’ perfect streak, losing 106-103 at home. In their second meeting at Oracle Arena, Golden State came away with an 18-point victory, but for the majority of the game was in a close contest with Utah. Tonight, the Jazz must remember that despite the outcomes of their previous two meetings, they have the capability to make a statement.
Even more so, the Jazz will need to stay resilient in light of last night’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Playing a back-to-back against the defending champs and on the road no less can result in a poor performance. For a team that is very much still in the playoff hunt they cannot allow a loss to occur tonight. The Jazz are just two games behind the Houston Rockets for eighth place in the standings. Every game is key from here on out.
Golden State: Avoiding Disinterest
For the Warriors, their next set of games include opponents such as the Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans, and the New York Knicks. In short, these teams don’t appear too dangerous for the likes of Golden State. However, if the defending champs carry that mindset in the near future it could prove disastrous in the long-term.
In recent games, the Warriors have not been performing to their highest ability, as was evident in a close win versus the Magic, and even more prevalent in their surprising loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Becoming lackadaisical can prove lethal to Golden State’s hope of repeating as champions. They still have much to play for, including the 95-96 Chicago Bulls’ record but even more importantly the top overall seed heading into the playoffs. The Warriors need to regain and keep their focus to close out the season, and that includes tonight’s meeting with the Jazz.
Golden State and Utah battle for the third time on League Pass. Tip-off is set at approximately 7:30 PM PT.