Jazz at Warriors
The Utah Jazz responded to their 10-game winning streak coming to an end by winning the next two games, including a dominating performance on both ends of the floor in a 118-88 triumph over Indiana on Monday. The Jazz will try to push their latest winning streak to three in a row and win for the 18th time in 20 games when they visit the Western Conference-worst Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Utah suffered a 138-132 overtime loss at New Orleans on Thursday but ripped past Sacramento 123-101 at home on Saturday before blasting Indiana on Monday. "We didn't give up any second shots, for one thing, and when they did go on a run, our defense stayed solid," Jazz coach Quin Snyder told reporters after beating the Pacers. "... For the most part, when you're consistent defensively, you give yourself a chance for good things to happen." The Warriors nearly had their own two-game winning streak following a 10-game slide but could not contain Portland star Damian Lillard and suffered a 129-124 overtime loss in Portland on Monday in a rematch of last spring's Western Conference finals. None of the key players from that 2018-19 Golden State team were on the floor Monday but a young core continues to develop around veterans like D'Angelo Russell and Alec Burks.
TIME: 10 p.m. ET. TV: AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, NBCS Bay Area
ABOUT THE JAZZ (30-13): Utah has worked its way into a tie for the No. 2 spot in the West heading into play on Tuesday and shot 54 percent from the floor while outscoring the Pacers in every quarter on Monday. "The way we're playing - it's exciting," reserve forward Georges Niang, who scored 15 points in the win, told reporters. "The ball's hopping, everybody's happy, we're talking. These are the days that you really remember. "We have to not take these for granted, continue to work, and stretch these into more winning streaks." Helping to stretch the streaks is the steady play of center Rudy Gobert, who collected 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 14 rebounds on Monday and is averaging 16.6 points on 68 percent shooting, 15.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks over the last 19 contests.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (10-35): Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant are injured or off the roster and Draymond Green (illness) sat out the last two games, but Golden State is still sharing the ball on offense like the vintage teams of its recent past. The Warriors handed out 30 assists in Monday's loss as Burks (33 points, eight assists) and Russell (27 points, nine assists) led the way. Starting in place of Green was rookie forward Eric Paschall, who continues to be the brightest of the team's young players and went for 22 points on 11-of-21 shooting and 13 rebounds in a team-high 42 minutes on Monday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Green and SF Glenn Robinson III (ankle) are both day-to-day.
2. Jazz PG Mike Conley (hamstring) came off the bench in each of his first two games since returning from over a month out and will continue to have his minutes monitored.
3. Utah took each of the first three meetings, including a 122-108 victory at Golden State on Nov. 11.