The Warriors had a hard fought second quarter, ending the first half with a 48-48 tie. Golden State’s good defense continued, keeping the Jazz under 50% shooting while offering up very few easy baskets, continually contested shots, and grabbed a few rebounds. It was a balanced yet uncharacteristic first half for the Warriors, shooting only 16.7% from 3 point range and taking only 7 free throw attempts, but matched the Jazz in total rebounds (19) and assists (11).
The game had a small delay in the second quarter as a power surge killed the lights for a couple of minutes inside the EnergySolutions Arena. Not all of the lights came back, and the referees decided to play on with some of the lights still being off. Monta Ellis ended the half with 12 points and 2 assists while Deron Williams had 8 points and 7 assists. I expect these guys to be the offensive catalysts for the rest of the game. Jeremy Lin and Brandon Wright saw some decent minutes off the bench, scoring 5 and 6 respectively while Steph Curry missed all 6 of his field goals attempted with his only points coming from the free throw line. Look for Deron Williams and Al Jefferson to continue to utilize the pick and roll, while Curry and Ellis will look to make some open shots.