(Click here, if you are unable to view this photo gallery or video on your mobile device.)
SALT LAKE CITY – Nearly four days after playing with postseason intensity, the Warriors stepped on the floor and competed as if it were a pointless exhibition. Nearly spending all season proving they can overcome almost any first-half deficit, the Warriors determined that required too much effort.
And so it went, the Warriors’ 129-99 loss to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday starkly contrasted Golden State’s nail-biting victory last Saturday against Boston.
“I saw one team get their [butt] kicked,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Our hearts weren’t in it. If your heart’s not in it, I don’t care how much talent you have. You’re going to lose.”
On Saturday, the Warriors offered a possible Finals preview with a blend of star power, defensive grit and clutch plays over the Celtics. On Tuesday, the Warriors (40-11) provided regular-season apathy with a blend of off nights, defensive laziness and sloppy play against the Jazz (22-28). As a result, the Warriors suffered their most lopsided loss of the season and failed to crack the 100-point barrier for only the fifth time.
“Our energy wasn’t great,” said Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who had 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting. “They were very comfortable the whole game as far as running their offense. They outplayed us in probably every aspect of the game.”
Stephen Curry (14 points on 4-of-13 shooting) and Kevin Durant (17 points on 5-of-13 shooting) shot poorly a mere four days after Curry posted 49 points against the Celtics. After staying put as mostly a pass-shoot guard without a dependable jumper. Jazz guard Ricky Rubio had a team-leading 23 points on a 9-of-16 clip. While the Warriors shot only 5-of-25 from 3-point range, Jazz forward Joe Ingles went 6-of-8 from the perimeter by himself.
“I can’t let Joe Ingles get loose on threes like that and expect us to play well on the road, especially in here. I have to start off the game better if we want to win games,” said Durant, who also missed all five of his 3-point attempts. “I have to start off the games better if I want the group to have more energy.”
Instead, the Warriors played with the same amount of boredom they apparently have for the city’s nightlife here.
In what Curry called a “tough, letdown game,” the Warriors led only once when they had a 6-5 lead with 8:54 left in the first quarter. Nearly five minutes later, Kerr called timeout as the Warriors trailed, 26-16, with 3:35 left in the first quarter.
The problems persisted.
The Warriors committed 19 turnovers, fulfilling a season-long problem in which they make either lazy passes or overly fancy ones. The Jazz shot 58.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range, bucking a trend in which Utah entered the game ranked 22nd out of 30 NBA teams in shooting percentage (45). And the Warriors entered halftime with a 71-56 deficit, fulfilling a usual custom in which they overcame such deficits in 12 different games.
Hence, Warriors forward Draymond Green remained unfazed.
“I actually thought we were going to crack them. I thought I was going to get them pretty good,” said Green who had eight points on 3-of-11 shooting. “I think I’m just foolish enough to believe we already have a chance.”
Instead, the Warriors had no shot. Curry missed all four of his shots in the third quarter. After Utah forward Jonas Jerebko had an uncontested look at the rim, Kerr called a timeout with the Warriors trailing, 85-69, with 7:09 left in the third quarter. When Warriors reserve forward Omri Casspi threw a lazy pass that led to a turnover and transition basket for a 97-76 deficit with 3:24 timeout, Kerr burned another timeout.
“We work hard to turn the ball over in creative ways,” Kerr said. “I thought we were really good in turning it over tonight.”
If only the Warriors could have exerted effort in areas that would actually help them win the game. Utah featured three other double-digit efforts from Ingles (20 points), Donovan Mitchell (20) and Derrick Favors (18). The Jazz outrebounded the Warriors, 42-37. And the Warriors conceded 58 points in the paint, highlighted most notably when reserve forward Nick Young left Gobert wide open for a dunk on a play that left his Warriors teammates chastising him afterwards.
On one hand, Kerr has expected such nights after the Warriors won two NBA titles out of three Finals appearances. Kerr was in this building nearly 19 years ago in the 1998 NBA Finals with the Chicago Bulls as he recalled the team “hanging on by a thread” against the Jazz before ultimately winning a third consecutive NBA title.
“It takes a lot out of you, so to expect these guys to be going full out defensively for 82 more games is unrealistic,” Kerr said beforehand. “As long as we’re building good habits and not completely breaking down in key areas, we can count on the fact when our playoffs are approaching, our defense will pick up and our intensity will get better.”
On the other hand, Kerr did not envision the Warriors’ play becoming this bad.
“This had nothing to do with heavy legs,” Kerr said. “This had nothing to do with being tired or fatigued. This had to do with our hearts not being in the game.”
The lone highlights: Thompson’s play and Warriors reserve center JaVale McGree offering a surprising 14 points and going 7-of-8 from the field. That led Kerr to jokingly blame the Warriors’ loss on Utah’s nightlife with Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams apparently staying out until 4:30 am. In reality, Kerr could do very little to entice his team to play hard.
“He can try,” Curry said. “But at the end of the day, he did enough preparing us beforehand of understanding they’re a tough and physical team that over the course of 48 minutes, if you give some resistance, you can wear on them.”
But that required too much work.