The Golden State Warriors come off still undefeated following their match against the Utah Jazz this week. After a very close fight against the Rudy Gobert squad, Stephen Curry and his NBA team move forward with a 19-0 record. While this is an extremely favorable situation, the Golden State Warriors felt the absence of Harrison Barnes in their roster. Without the said NBA star, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson had to exert twice the effort to ensure that their record remains spotless. The NBA champs won with 106-103.
Barnes is said to be out for at least three games this season due to his ankle injury. Brandon Rush will replace Barnes in the starting lineup, which is reportedly welcomed by the Golden State Warriors management. Barnes is slated to be under a restricted free agency deal this coming NBA offseason. He already missed the games against the Utah Jazz and the Charlotte Hornets. Barnes is also expected to miss the face off against the Toronto Raptors.
"I think it just adds pressure," admitted Warriors' interim head coach Luke Walton, referring to the 19-0 record of the NBA team, according to Yahoo Sports. "It makes other teams want to beat us that much more, to be the first team to end the streak. We have guys that embrace pressure, and they seem to play better and are sharper, the more pressure and the bigger the stage."
Although the Golden State Warriors came out victorious over the Utah Jazz, star player Curry shared that their unblemished record is no guarantee of their performance in the next basketball matches.
He said via ESPN, "We've had some battles, and obviously, we've had some lopsided victories. But what gets lost in the record is the tough games we've had to claw our way out of, like tonight. Just because we are 19-0 doesn't mean we can just show up and blow teams out and guarantee a win. We actually have to do something about it."
Curry pointed out the same thing fans who witnessed the game against the Utah Jazz saw. During the said match-up, the Golden State Warriors visibly struggled to maintain the lead - with several minutes of the Utah Jazz almost clinched the coveted victory over the NBA champs.
"We knew this was going to be one of the tougher challenges for us," shared Walton. "That team is very well-coached, and they execute, and they got those bigs that are a lot to deal with. Once their crowd got into it and they had their confidence going, it was a good, solid NBA game."
For their part, the Utah Jazz players admitted that facing the Golden State Warriors had been a difficult experience.
"We competed against the best team in the league and gave ourselves a chance to win," said Gordon Hayward. "[Curry] had a shot at the end. Couple mistakes here and there. And maybe it's a different outcome, but can't complain. That's why they're 19-0. That's why he's the MVP. He's going to make shots."
