SAN FRANCISCO– It might have taken an animated conversation from Steve Kerr early in the first half to light a fire under the Golden State Warriors, but all is well that ends well as the Dubs took down the Utah Jazz in a comfortable 134-117 win.
“It was really just the start, I thought our defense was pretty good afterwards,” Kerr said postgame when asked about what his frustrations were about during that quick timeout. GKerr cited their defensive miscues on Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen getting loose despite the Warriors having a specific point of emphasis to stop them.
“We just lost our focus, so I wanted to gently remind them that we needed to focus more.”
The Warriors did indeed focus more. After falling behind 35-26 by the end of the first quarter, they outscored Utah 80 to 49 in the second and third quarters, with the defense kicking it up a notch and the offense finding a flow. Stephen Curry finished with 31 points, his seventh 30-point game of the season, shaking off a slow start from him and the team to begin the game.
“We wanted to get off to a better start than we did, but we responded after that quick timeout,” Curry said. “Coach [Kerr] lit a fire underneath us, and I'm just glad the way we responded as a whole. We know we can play better, but it's nice to have a little bit of offensive rhythm tonight.”
Golden State got up 104 shots, the first time they've eclipsed the 100 field goal attempt mark this season, draining 49% of those attempts. It was a strong night against a team the Warriors should definitely handle comfortably. Regardless, here are three observations from Golden State's blowout win.
GP2 stepped into the Draymond Green facilitator role
With Green out, Steve Kerr turned to veteran Gary Payton II to do his best Draymond Green impression with the team's anchor out with a mild foot sprain.
The 6-foot-2 guard who really plays more like a super-undersized power forward collected nine points, six rebounds, and a team-high eight assists as Golden State used him as the facilitator searching for guys working in their off-the-ball motion actions. Working off of Curry in particular helped Payton succeed, as the gravity the greatest shooter of all-time attracted freed up the all-around Swiss Army knife.
“Me and GP have such a great chemistry,” Curry said. “He's a very unique player in the sense of how the opposing team decides to matchup against him. Our pick-and-roll options, off-ball options, we just kind of know where each other is. And when he's shooting the ball when he gets those looks, it always helps. Nobody can do what Draymond does, but GP does in his own with his athletic ability to get downhill, DHO [designated handoffs], set good screens, and make defenses pay that way.”
Asked Steph Curry about Gary Payton II stepping up to fill in some of the facilitating duties without Draymond Green:
“Nobody can do what Draymond does but GP does in his own with his athletic ability to get downhill, DHO, set good screens and make defenses pay that way.” pic.twitter.com/QV8UMukcdK
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) November 25, 2025
Payton is a textbook example of how to always get minutes on the Warriors. If you know how to play with Curry and your skillset complements the attention he demands from opponents, you will always see action on the hardwood. Kerr has said multiple times this season that Payton looks his best when he's playing off of Curry. It's a combination that makes sense.
And that's significant, not only because Green may miss more time but also because Kerr is in search of the right combinations. He's been banging that drum all season. That's significant for his guard rotation and who gets real playing time.
Brandin Podziemski benched entire 2nd quarter
Speaking of playing time and rotations, Brandin Podziemski had another rough night. The third-year guard sat the entire second quarter, when Golden State made a 21-0 run to take control of the game. Kerr got visibly frustrated with Podziemski after he allowed a wide-open George three while roaming around in no-man's land in their zone defense around the 1:57 mark in the first quarter.
And while he eventually returned midway through the third quarter and played better defensively, it's not like his offense was a silver lining. He finished with 6 points on 1-of-4 shooting along with five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
It's just been a rocky start for the former 19th pick out of Santa Clara in a year with high (maybe unfair) expectations for him. His on/off numbers aren't awful by any means– the team allows 11.7 fewer points per 100 possessions when he plays, which ranks second on the team. Podziemski also leads the league in charges drawn once again, with seven so far this season.
But it's his offense that's really struggled to make a leap this season. Golden State scores 3.3 points less per 100 possessions when Podziemski is on the floor, which ranks in the low 33th percentile across the league. He's been indecisive for most of this season. A lot of catch-and-shoot threes turned down. A lot of dribbling into trouble and getting stuck between the perimeter and the paint. He's just not playing in rhythm.
And with a team like Golden State with guard depth galore, his place in the rotation isn't concrete. Kerr's willingness to sit him an entire quarter is proof of that. At his peak, he offers a unique niche of playmaking, shooting, and savvy defense. Right now, though, he isn't, which makes him expendable rotationally.
Buddy Hield got back on track and some nice life advice from him
Buddy Hield, who has also had a rough season so far, found his footing, which is important even against a team like the Jazz. Hield finished with 20 points on four made threes and 8-of-13 shooting. He looked far more comfortable finding his rhythm, especially in transition. His best friend Jimmy Butler found him a couple of times on the fastbreak, which allowed him to get some open makeable looks. After the game, Hield talked about sticking with the process amid a tough start to the season for him.
“Feels great. Just great to see a few go down. It's been a rough season, you know, up and down trying to figure it out,” Hield said postgame. “Hopefully I can build off this one and build off the next one, and take it one at a time.”
When Hield was later asked about his process for figuring things out, he got philosophical about his mindset.
“It’s just life we all go through our ups and downs, and nothing is easy. I’m sure you all go through your daily struggles, and my struggles are trying to figure it out on the basketball court. That’s the fun part about it, once you figure it out, you’ll look back on it and go, ‘Dang, it was nothing.’ There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Stay in the fight, keep fighting, keep doing what got me here, and everything will fall in the right place.”
That philosophy can be applied to Golden State and Hield. Everything will fall into place offensively if Hield can get going. Those concerns Kerr'ss expressed about the rhythm will disappear if Hield can maintain his momentum.
Bonus– Golden State debuts “The Town” City Jerseys
For their City Edition jerseys this season, Golden State brought back their famous Town jerseys, in homage to the city of Oakland, with a twist. Instead of the gray and yellow jerseys of old, these ones are cream colored with brown and gold accents. It's a color combination the Warriors haven't used before. Kerr likened them to the San Diego Padres' uniforms earlier this season.
And while I am a traditionalist in the sense that I believe jerseys should not deviate too far from their primary colorways, these looked nice tonight in person, especially with the vintage-looking court that came along with them.
Golden State will not wear those Town jerseys in their big matchup with the Houston Rockets next up.
