Warriors left stunned after late collapse in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Golden State Warriors held a four-point pb implicit the Utah Jazz with 13.3 seconds remaining successful the game. They had clawed their mode backmost aft trailing by 12 successful the 3rd 4th and did truthful without Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.

But what happened implicit those adjacent 13 seconds near the Warriors scratching their heads pursuing a 124-123 nonaccomplishment astatine Vivint Arena.

"In my experience, there's 1 crippled similar this each twelvemonth wherever you permission the gathering saying, 'What conscionable happened?'" Warriors manager Steve Kerr said. "You marque mistakes down the agelong and you permission the arena conscionable shaking your head, thinking, 'How did we conscionable fto that happen?'"

With 13 seconds left, Kelly Olynyk inbounded the shot to Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who worked his mode astir Moses Moody and drove to the hoop for what looked to beryllium a wide-open layup.

But Alexander-Walker passed the shot to Malik Beasley, who was each unsocial successful the close country aft losing Klay Thompson. Beasley knocked down a 3-pointer, bringing the crippled wrong 1 with 7.8 seconds left.

"I conscionable fell asleep," Thompson said. "I watched the shot handler get to the rim alternatively than sticking connected the 3-point shooter. That was a dreadful mistake by myself."

After a timeout, Ty Jerome inbounded the shot to Jordan Poole. Alexander-Walker and Olynyk hounded Poole, knocking the shot retired of his hands and to Beasley.

"I heard connected the catch, 'Look for the foul connected the ball,'" Poole said. "I don't truly cognize [what happened], to beryllium honest."

With 4 seconds connected the clock, Beasley took respective dribbles and bounce-passed it to Simone Fontecchio, who dunked it, giving the Jazz the pb and the win.

Entering the game, the Jazz were 1-718 erstwhile trailing by astatine slightest 4 points wrong the last 10 seconds of the 4th fourth implicit the past 25 seasons.

"I consciousness unspeakable for our guys due to the fact that they fought and they did a batch of large things, but we person to adjacent the door," Kerr said.

Without 3 of their starters -- who person been the champion players for the Warriors done the aboriginal information of the play -- Golden State relied heavy connected second-year players Jonathan Kuminga and Moody, successful summation to Thompson and Poole, who scored 22 points and a season-high-tying 36 points, respectively.

Kuminga's performance, successful particular, impressed arsenic helium finished with a season-high 24 points connected 10-of-13 shooting, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 bargain and 1 block. He besides had a beardown antiaircraft game, spending astir of the nighttime connected Jordan Clarkson, and coming up with a important halt connected him down the agelong of the game.

"His defence was incredible," Thompson said. "JK is simply a peculiar talent, and helium showcased it tonight. While he's young successful his career, erstwhile helium keeps things elemental it's awesome to watch. He's going to adhd layers to his crippled arsenic the seasons spell by. Just an unthinkable talent."

Wednesday's nonaccomplishment to Utah wasn't the archetypal crippled this play the Warriors had dropped aft holding a precocious lead. It's a stark opposition to past season, erstwhile it was astir ever definite they could triumph a choky game.

They accidental it's a effect of them inactive uncovering their individuality with a comparatively caller roster, particularly successful their 2nd unit. Until they find that individuality and what Kerr said is simply a shared mentality of "we're going to knuckle down and instrumentality attraction of this," they won't beryllium capable to get the results they want.

"I thought [we] truly fought and earned the close to triumph the game, and past we didn't close. And you've got to close," Kerr said. "You've got to beryllium stone coagulated with the ball. You've got to beryllium astute defensively. We were neither of those things the past 13 seconds."