Why Kerr believes Dubs' gritty win vs. Jazz 'feels different' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Warriors' 112-107 win over the Utah Jazz at Chase Center on Wednesday night was nothing short of a complete team effort.
Golden State was without veteran stars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, yet found a way to escape with a win thanks to key performances from a few unlikely contributors.
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While speaking to reporters after the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr praised his squad for the gritty performance and explained why Wednesday night's win stood out to him.
"Yeah, this feels different to win this game based on the circumstances," Kerr said. "This was a game we wouldn't have won a few weeks ago, but I think our young guys are really growing, we're getting great performances every night from guys like [Jonathan Kuminga] and [Anthony Lamb] and Ty Jerome. Guys like Donte [DiVincenzo] have been fantastic not just knocking down shots, but defending with force. Jordan Poole creating so much for us and then Draymond [Green] and [Kevon Looney] holding down the defense is fun to watch. I just think we've shown a lot of grit here the last few games."
Poole and DiVincenzo led the way with 26 and 19 points, respectively, but it was what the Warriors got from Jerome (17 points, 7 rebounds), Patrick Baldwin Jr. (11 points, 3 rebounds), Lamb (10 points, 4 rebounds) and Kuminga (9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) that helped supplement the production of Poole, DiVincenzo, Green and Looney.
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To Kerr's point, the Warriors team of a few weeks ago likely would not have found a way to win this game, and the fact that they did is evidence that the second and third units are becoming more cohesive as the season progresses.
Golden State, with an NBA-best 15-2 home record, will look to continue its dominance at Chase Center on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
