The Golden State Warriors beat the West-leading Utah Jazz 129-118 on Friday, moving to .500 for the first time since late October. Here are three key reactions from the defending champions' eighth straight home win.

3 key reactions to Warriors' double-digit win over Jazz

Run, Warriors, run

Maybe no team in basketball is more intentional about creating transition opportunities than the Warriors. That reality was on full display from the opening tip of Friday's game, as Utah juiced Golden State's vaunted fast break attack by clanking jumper after jumper and being a bit careless with the ball in the half court.

Andrew Wiggins raced the ball upcourt after a defensive rebound, finding Draymond Green for an easy layup. Donte DiVincenzo fired a bullet to a sprinting Jordan Poole, who grabbed the ball above his head and tossed it up for a reverse finish in one motion. Even Kevon Looney got loose for an open-floor dunk after the Warriors got a stop.

The best encapsulation of Golden State's running game? Draymond going coast-to-coast unencumbered after a Jazz make late in the second quarter, as Kelly Olynyk frantically ran to a guarded Klay Thompson.

https://streamable.com/5qtonu

Good luck stopping a 3-on-2 featuring Curry, Thompson and Jordan Poole, too.

https://streamable.com/q7ro20

Transition offense is inherently more efficient. The Warriors are plenty dangerous in the half court, of course, but few teams in the league create as much havoc as they do when the ball changes ends fast.

Curry and Thompson are five-alarm fires for defenses in transition. Wiggins can lead the break with the dribble or finish at the rim and front beyond the arc. Not many playmakers can process the game as fast as Green.

Pushing the pace is hardly new in the Bay. But given the construction of this year's Warriors, especially as Steve Kerr's rotation remains in relative flux, expect them to continue creating transition chances at every opportunity all season long.

Playing with three-point fire

Golden State led by 14 points after the first quarter, getting whatever it wanted offensively and holding the Jazz to 23 points on the other. It sure looked like the Warriors were in control at intermission, too, up 59-51 after surviving a 16-3 Utah run.

One problem: The Jazz were a hideous 4-of-26 from deep in the first half, due for major statistical regression. Golden State played solid, disruptive defense at times, but the quality of Utah's looks suggested a second-half barrage might be coming.

Just over four minutes into the third quarter, the Jazz already had made as many long balls as they did the entire first half. Lauri Markkanen's corner triple suddenly put the visitors up 71-70, Utah taking full advantage of the Warriors' lackadaisical transition defense and inability to contain the ball.

The good news? No team gets hot like Golden State.

Klay Thompson, previously quiet, hit four threes in eight possessions over the last two-and-half minutes of the third quarter, helping the Warriors take a 97-86 lead into the final stanza.

There were some encouraging signs defensively for Golden State on Friday. They made multiple efforts, helped the helper and turned stops into early offense whenever they possibly could. They only committed 15 fouls!

Wiggins and Green, specifically, put together several moments that reminded of the lockdown defense they played en route to a championship last season.

But the Warriors' collective engagement on that end still came and went, casual on-ball defense and lazy over-helps giving the Jazz some life when they were in a hole on the scoreboard. The tenor of this game would've been entirely different had Utah not started so ice cold from deep.

Good thing Golden State's offense was a constant.

Jordan Poole, coming along

All 10 rotation players did good things for the Warriors against the Jazz.

The starters were too much for Utah and the revamped second unit mostly held its own. Curry played like the MVP. Wiggins stood out on both ends. Green and Thompson did what they do best. Looney had a double-double.

DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green made palpable impacts off the bench, and Jonathan Kuminga quietly took another step as a reserve sparkplug. Anthony Lamb continued staking his claim for minutes.

Golden State's most encouraging individual performance on Friday, though, came from Jordan Poole, nearly as much for his rough recent struggles as what he did on the floor.

Poole's numbers—19 points, four rebounds and five assists on 7-of-15 shooting—aren't eye-popping considering what we've come to expect from him based on last season. But he entered this game completely out of rhythm, only showing off his unique offensive talents of late when the Warriors sat their regulars in a 45-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

At least some of that magic returned on Friday, but most heartening was how Poole let the game come to him—no doubt taking a page from advice that helped spark Thompson's recent turnaround.  He generally didn't force the issue versus the Jazz, finding most of his shots within flow of the offense and otherwise helping create good looks for his teammates.

It's obvious how much Poole is benefitting from playing alongside Draymond, Wiggins and DiVincenzo in Golden State's second unit, his playmaking burdens lessened and advantage opportunities coming far more frequently.

This play, for instance, is only possible because of the Curry-lite mind meld Poole has developed with Green over the last few years.

https://streamable.com/ccwhsm

Poole putting his early-season malaise firmly in the rearview mirror is the last piece of the puzzle for the surging Warriors, at least until a trade comes or more rotation changes are made. Friday's game marks one of the only times this season he's appeared truly comfortable in his role, a welcome sight for Golden State.