The last time the Warriors ventured to Salt Lake City, they failed to bring their defense. It arrived at the half, barely in time to fuel a comeback win over the Jazz.
That’s not a script the defending champions want to follow Wednesday night, when they make their second trip of the season into Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 5 p.m. with Warriors Pregame, with tipoff scheduled for 6:10. All coverage can be seen on the MyTeams app.
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The Warriors (21-10) on Oct. 19 clamped down to hold the Jazz to 42 second-half points on 34.1-percent shooting, pulling out a 124-123 win on a flying tip-in by ex-Utah forward Jonas Jerebko with 0.3 seconds remaining.
Projected to compete for a top-four seed in the Western Conference, Utah (14-17) has yet to put together a stretch of consistently solid play. Struggling on offense – tied for 25th in 3-point shooting percentage at 33.3 – the Jazz fell below .500 on Nov. 19 and have since failed to rise above it.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Golden State Warriors
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Warriors
F Kevin Durant
F Draymond Green
C Kevon Looney
G Klay Thompson
G Stephen Curry
Jazz
F Joe Ingles
F Jae Crowder
C Rudy Gobert
G Donovan Mitchell
G Ricky Rubio
INJURY REPORT
Warriors
C DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles tendon rehab) and C Damian Jones (pectoral surgery) are listed as out.
Jazz
No injuries listed.
ROTATION OUTLOOK
Warriors
Coach Steve Kerr continues to tinker with his rotation, most notably shifting Curry from full first and third quarters to partials, with Curry opening the second and fourth. This formerly was the Klay Thompson slot, with Curry resting in the first half of the second and fourth quarters.
Top reserves Andre Iguodala and Jonas Jerebko have combined to shoot 46.4 percent from deep over their last nine games. Jerebko has scored in double figures six times during that stretch.
When Green is a credible 3-point threat, it creates an additional layer of space for his teammates. That won’t happen until Green, a career 32.4-percent shooter from deep, climbs well above his current 20 percent for this season.
Jazz
Mitchell, a rookie sensation last season, has been inconsistent with his shot, reaching 50 percent or higher nine times but going 40 percent or lower 16 times.. . .
Ingles normally is a terrific 3-point shooter but has been struggling, shooting 25 percent (5-of-20) over his last five games. The bench has collaborated to score at least 50 points in each of the last three home game, with percentages of 59.3 overall and 46.8 from beyond the arc.
Gobert ranks second in the NBA in double-doubles (25) but tends to be vulnerable in pick-and-roll situations. Put simply, he hates to leave the paint and often does not.
Kyle Korver, acquired last month for his 3-point shooting, is 8-of-28 (28.6 percent) over his last six games.