The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz-Golden State Warriors key matchup: Warriors vs Injuries

By Austin Leonard

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors of the Utah Jazz of the Golden State Warriors at vivint.SmartHome Arena on January 30, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JANUARY 30: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors of the Utah Jazz of the Golden State Warriors at vivint.SmartHome Arena on January 30, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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At 41-32, the Utah Jazz are hanging onto the eighth seed by the skin of their teeth. A win over a depleted Golden State Warriors squad could be crucial to keeping their playoff hopes alive.

UPDATE (12:35 PM MT): Draymond Green has also been ruled out of the game due to flu-like symptoms.

The Golden State Warriors team that the Utah Jazz will face on Sunday is not the same squad that the Jazz blew out by 30 on January 30. Due to injuries, this version of the Warriors will be without All-Stars Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.

The only core player who will take the court for the 2017 NBA champions in this game will be Draymond Green. To say missing these players puts the Warriors at a disadvantage is a massive understatement; the Warriors are now a completely different team.

Utah can’t let an opportunity to beat Golden State in this depleted state pass them by.

The Warriors’ regular starting lineup has a net rating of 10.0 for the season, boasting one of the greatest offenses in NBA history (with an offensive rating of 118.6). These numbers could even go up once the Warriors lock-in for the playoffs. Without their three best players from this lineup, though, they’ll struggle to even approach this level of production.

One of the few flaws Golden State’s critics will point to is their lack of solid bench players. Usually this isn’t a problem as their starting lineup is so strong that the bench ends up not being a huge issue. The problem is, when multiple members of that starting lineup fall out due to injury, there are only so many players who can step up.

The Jazz need to capitalize on that drop-off. Really, they should be able to come away from Oakland with the win as long as they can hold Green in check with their stifling defense.

Green is a guy who does everything. He’s currently averaging 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game on the year. He thrives in the system Steve Kerr has created up in the Bay Area, but carrying the load by himself doesn’t suit his style of play.

The presumed starting lineup of Green, Quinn Cook, Andre Iguodala, Nick Young and Zaza Pachulia has a net rating of 4.8. While this isn’t a bad mark, it also may not be statistically significant. That lineup has only logged 35 minutes on the court with one another so far this year.

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One of the bright sides for the Warriors is the aforementioned Cook. The Ringer put out a good piece on him and his contributions to his team the other day; if you’re a Jazz fan, you should definitely give it a read before the game.

Overall, I don’t see the Warriors being able to overcome these injuries against the Jazz. Utah’s desire to fight their way up the Western Conference standings coupled with Golden State’s desire to coast into the postseason as the No. 2 seed should allow for Jazz fans see a much-needed win on the road.

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