Gobert goes for 25 and 14 as Jazz beat frustrated Warriors
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz showed they can be a dangerous team from beyond the arc.
Mitchell and Mike Conley each hit five 3-pointers as the Jazz shot 56 percent (15 for 27) from deep over the first three quarters to take command in a 122-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.
Utah entered averaging 29.3 attempts per game from 3-point range, fifth-fewest in the NBA.
"We're a team that we want to be able to shoot 3s and make 3s at a high clip," Conley said. "We've got a lot of guys who can do it."
Rudy Gobert had 25 points and 14 rebounds to power the Jazz inside, but it was their perimeter shooting that made the difference every time the Warriors threatened a comeback.
Mitchell added 23 points and Conley scored 22 for Utah, which improved to 7-3.
The injury-ravaged Warriors fell to an NBA-worst 2-9, and their frustrations boiled over in the fourth quarter.
Draymond Green, back after missing five games with a torn finger ligament, earned back-to-back technicals and an ejection for arguing a blocking call with 8:28 left.
"I disagreed with that call, and I'm never going to be OK with another grown man telling me don't talk," Green said.
"If you feel like you got the call wrong, or right, you don't tell me not to talk. I'm a grown man."
Less than a minute later, coach Steve Kerr was given a technical after arguing a kicked-ball call against Jordan Poole.
It's been that kind of season so far for the Warriors, who had their biggest star back in the building Monday.
Stephen Curry, sidelined for at least the next three months because of a broken left hand, held a pregame media briefing to discuss his injury and try to lend his teammates some moral support.
Point guard D'Angelo Russell continues to be a bright spot for Golden State. He scored 33 points, his fourth consecutive game of 30 or more.
Green pointed out it's a different offense the Warriors are running than before he was injured. With Curry out, Kerr is putting the ball in Russell's hands, which means more pick-and-rolls and less rapid-fire passing.
"I don't really have the ball in my hands. I've always been a playmaker. I don't really have the ball much," Green said. "It's just (something) to figure out. It's not the first time in my career I've had to figure something out."
Kerr agreed it's an adjustment for Green, whose slick passing always has been a staple of the Warriors' offense.
"It's kind of a strange case where the guy who's been here the longest is the newest with what we're doing," Kerr said.
TIP-INS
Jazz: Entered the night with the NBA's 28th-ranked offense at 101 points per game. ... Finished 16 for 35 (46 percent) from 3-point range and went 26 of 32 at the foul line. ... Utah, which is 5-0 at home, improved to 2-3 on the road.
Warriors: Green's return to the lineup was a welcome sign, but his presence was felt even before the opening tip. "We already felt it this morning in shootaround, just his voice," Kerr said. ... Golden State also welcomed back rookie forward Eric Paschall, who missed Saturday's game at Oklahoma City with a bruised hip. Paschall, who averaged 22.5 points in the four games leading up to his injury, finished with eight.
JERSEY EXCHANGE
Paschall and Mitchell, AAU teammates in Harlem, New York, during their younger days, exchanged jerseys after the game.
"I'll probably hang it up," Paschall said. "Just to be able to switch jerseys with him is so special. I know our families are very happy and very blessed that we're in a position to do this."
KERR REFLECTS
Kerr began his pregame media briefing by sending condolences to the family of Bernard Tyson, the CEO and chairman of Kaiser Permanente who died Sunday at age 60. "He was a wonderful man, someone who made a huge impact here in the Bay Area, the community and with our team," Kerr said.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Host the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.
Warriors: At the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
