Golden State vs Utah NBA Hoops Handicapping
With three days rest, the Utah Jazz will host the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, looking to close out a four-game home stand with their third consecutive win. [ad-4468020]
Date/Time: 10:30 PM ET, Friday, Jan. 31, 2014
Venue: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Broadcast: ESPN
Spread: OFF
Over/Under: OFF
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The Warriors (28-19) closed out a five game home stand of their own on Thursday night, beating the Los Angeles Clipper, 111-92.
Stephen Curry shared the spotlight with forward David Lee as they led Golden State’s offense with 22 points apiece, while as team the Warriors out muscled the Clippers on the boards and made the most of their free throw attempts by shooting 75 percent from the free throw line.
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Big man Andrew Bogut pulled down a team-best 17 rebounds and scored 14 of the team’s 66 points in the paint.
The win boosted the Warriors record to 4-6 in their last 10, and will hopefully be indicative of a turn around to get the team back on track.
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Meanwhile, Utah (16-29) is riding a two-game win streak following a 106-99 triumph over visiting Sacramento on Monday to pass up the Kings at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Derrick Favors posted his second double-double in as many games since returning from a hip injury, pouring in 17 points and grabbing12 rebounds, while Marvin Williams added 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Enes Kanter also pitched in with 16 points for Utah, which committed just eight turnovers in the game.
The Kings made the game interesting, as they got the best of the Jazz defense, and rallied from a 20-point deficit to get within 104-99, with 31.7 seconds remaining. The Jazz however finally held off the charge, handing Sacramento its fourth consecutive loss
The Jazz defense continued to show its inconsistency and to make things worse, were 12-for-25 from the free-throw line in the final quarter to finish at 35-for-53 overall.
Matt’s Prediction
If Utah wants to win this one, they will have to improve on the defensive end and take advantage of every opportunity they get at the charity stripe.
The Jazz gave up 52 points in the paint to Sacramento — a place the Warriors can make them pay.
If Golden State can dominate tjhe inside like they did against the Clippers, and improve their perimeter which was 2-for-17 last time out, they should have no problem leaving Utah with a win.
Warriors 111, Jazz 98
