The good news for the Warriors on Monday night was that Draymond Green’s extended absence ended. The bad news? Their losing streak didn’t.
Golden State was no match for Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz, dropping their fourth straight contest to the tune of a 122-108 decision.
Prior to the contest, it was announced that Green would suit up for the first time since November 1, and after missing five consecutive games, he showed some obvious signs of rust. In 22 minutes, Green shot just 2-for-7 from the field, scoring four points. He also had four rebounds and seven assists.
Green, who had a frustrating night, was ejected with about 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter after he received two technical fouls for arguing a foul call. The team trailed by 13 points at the time.
D’Angelo Russell continued his strong play, scoring 33 points on an efficient 13-for-25 shooting from the field, but he got little help from his comrades, as no other player on the team scored more than 11.
The Warriors entered the contest ranking dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency, yielding 117 points per 100 possessions. The presence of Green should have produced a better overall defensive effort from the Warriors, but they allowed Utah to score 35 and 34 points in the first and second quarters, respectively. With a 15-point deficit at the half, things didn’t get much better for the Warriors in the game’s final 24 minutes.
Utah shot a blistering 16-for-35 from three-point territory (compared to 10-for-31and outscored Golden State from the free-throw line by 18 points. As is often the case in the NBA, it’s difficult to overcome those shortcomings. For the Warriors on Monday night, it was.
The club will now head to Los Angeles on Wednesday to square off against LeBron James and the Lakers.
