Golden State Warriors leaned on a vintage scoring burst from Stephen Curry to secure a 123-114 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at Chase Center. The victory lifted Golden State to 19-17 and helped erase the sting of a lopsided loss one night earlier.
Curry finished with 31 points and six three-pointers in his return from a one-game absence due to a sprained left ankle. The guard delivered his biggest impact in the third quarter, scoring 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
Golden State regained control midway through the period. Curry buried a go-ahead three with 7:01 remaining and followed it with another triple on the next possession.
Jimmy Butler returned after missing Friday’s game with an illness and provided balance with 15 points and seven assists. His presence steadied the offense after the Warriors played short-handed in a 37-point defeat at Oklahoma City.
Draymond Green was also back in the lineup but saw limited action. He was ejected with 2:25 left in the second quarter after receiving consecutive technical fouls while arguing for a three-second violation.
Green finished with eight points, three rebounds, and two assists in 12 minutes. The forward now has nine technical fouls this season and is seven away from an automatic one-game suspension.
Utah kept pressure on Golden State behind a strong showing from Lauri Markkanen. The forward scored 35 points and shot 9-for-12 in the first half, accounting for 21 points before intermission.
Keyonte George added 22 points and nine assists for the Jazz, who played without center Jusuf Nurkic for a second straight game due to a sprained left toe. Utah has dropped three consecutive games and seven of its last nine.
The Jazz capitalized on turnovers to stay within striking distance. Golden State committed 15 giveaways, which led to 22 Utah points.
Quinten Post delivered a productive night in the frontcourt for the Warriors. He scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and knocked down three three-pointers.
Golden State shot 42 percent from beyond the arc, finishing 19-of-45 from long range. Utah connected on 13 three-pointers but could not match the Warriors’ perimeter volume.
Utah heads to Portland on Monday night to continue its road trip. Golden State visits the Clippers on Monday, looking to build momentum above the .500 mark.
