Warriors at Jazz
The Golden State Warriors have tied the franchise record of 67 victories
set last season and look to move closer to the NBA mark of 73 wins when
they visit the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. The Warriors defeated the
Washington Wizards on Tuesday and need to go 6-2 over the final eight
regular-season contests to surpass the 72-win record set by the 1995-96
Chicago Bulls.
Point guard Stephen Curry said the all-time victories mark is now on the minds of the players as they hit the final stretch of the season. "You understand they are still talking about that Bulls' team," Curry said after Tuesday's 102-94 victory over the Wizards. "Obviously, if we get that done and win a championship, regardless to have a realistic shot of 73 victories in a season, we want to finish strong and hopefully accomplish that. That would be special." Utah has won eight of its past 10 games and is in seventh place in the West — ninth-place Dallas is just one game behind — and is hoping that having a day to prepare for the Warriors will prove beneficial. "Hopefully, they're tired coming off a back-to-back," point guard Shelvin Mack told reporters. "We've got to be focused, be ready to pick up Steph Curry, have a clear mind and try to compete at a high level."
TV: 9 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (Los Angeles), ROOT (Utah)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (67-7): Golden State has won five straight games and 12 of its last 13 as it continues its historic season. Curry scored 26 points and made six 3-pointers in the victory over the Wizards and needs 44 3-pointers to become the first NBA player to make 400 in a season. Shooting guard Klay Thompson had just 16 points and was 2-of-8 from 3-point range against Washington after averaging 37.3 points and making 23 3-pointers in the previous three contests.
ABOUT THE JAZZ (37-37): Shooting guard Rodney Hood had an electric first-half performance in Monday's 123-75 beat down of the Los Angeles Lakers as he scored 30 points and made a career-best eight 3-point baskets. "I got a couple of clean looks and from there I just kept on shooting," Hood told reporters. "The hoop looked really big." Hood had reached 20 points just once in his previous 21 outings but has made 18-of-24 field-goal attempts during the past two games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Warriors are 3-0 against the Jazz this season and have won 10 of the past 11 meetings.
2. Utah has limited six of its last eight opponents to 87 or fewer points.
3. Golden State is 16-2 in the second game of back-to-back sets this season.