Jazz 97 – Warriors 90: The Mo Williams Dagger Game

[ESPN Recap]

The Jazz don’t win often on the road (this was only their third road win since January), so it was a pleasant surprise to see the hustle and fight in a crucial game. Mo Williams was at his best (25 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals), but there were excellent performances from the entire roster. Derrick Favors cemented his status as an elite defender, Al Jefferson was a beast (19 points, 12 rebounds), Gordon Hayward was aggressive, and Jamaal Tinsley gave the team nice contributions in relief.

With the win and the Lakers loss to the Clippers earlier in the day, the Jazz remain in the 8th spot in the West and control their own destiny. The Warriors could have clinched their Playoff status with a win and seemed to be gunning for it early. Randy Foye mentioned in the post-game interviews that the he noticed Ws coach Mark Jackson left Steph Curry in the game longer than usual in the first half.

Up next, the Jazz face the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Tuesday. It will be very interested to see if the Jazz can match the energy from Sunday night and take advantage of the vulnerable Thunder.