Steph Curry's dazzling third quarter helps lead Warriors to win against Jazz

Justice delos Santos, The Mercury News on Jan 4, 2026

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SAN FRANCISCO — The foundation for a disappointing loss was in place.

Draymond Green was ejected in the final minutes of the second quarter. The Utah Jazz led by as much as 12 points in the first half behind Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George. Steph Curry grinded through slow start from the field.

Then, there was that vintage Curry magic.

The Warriors washed away Friday night’s forgettable blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 123-114 win over the Jazz as Curry made six 3-pointers and dropped 31 points, 20 of which were in the third quarter. Golden State has now won six of its last eight games.

Green only played 12 minutes in his return to action (eight points, three rebounds, two assists) after he was ejected in the final minutes of the second quarter. It marked his second ejection in his last eight games, the last being against the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 20.

De’Anthony Melton, who didn’t play on Friday as the Warriors manage his workload in his return from ACL surgery, had an encouraging night from beyond the arc. Melton made three of his six 3-point attempts and finished with 13 points, a much-needed performance given he entered play shooting 16.7% from distance.

Jimmy Butler (15 points), Quentin Post (15) and Gary Payton II (10) also finished in double figures. For Utah, Markkanen scored a game-high 35 points while George had 22 points and nine assists.

With 2:25 remaining in the second quarter, Green was hit with a technical foul following a dunk by Markkanen, appearing upset that Kyle Filipowski wasn’t called for a three-second violation. Green, as is his wont, continued to passionately plead his case. It’s not uncommon for Green to receive leeway, but he was shortly assessed another technical foul and ejected.

The Warriors (19-17) trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half and entered the break trailing 65-58 as Markkanen and George combined for 36 first-half points and the Jazz (12-22) shot 58.7% from the field.

Despite Green’s absence, the Warriors fought their way back as Curry found his groove, scoring 20 points and draining four 3-pointers in the third. One of those 3s featured a vintage lookaway; another was taken from the logo.

Along with the shots from distance, Curry almost threw down a dunk when Gui Santos found him on a cut. Curry didn’t quite get enough air and laid it in while grazing the rim. At the end of three quarters, a seven-point deficit became a four-point advantage.

Golden State continued to create separation in the fourth quarter, holding a double-digit lead for much of the fourth.