Warriors rally to top Utah in OT, get win No. 68
SALT LAKE CITY — Midway through the fourth quarter Wednesday night, Stephen Curry spent most of a timeout staring quizzically at a scoreboard on the back wall of the Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Curry decided to swap the score to a more customary look, scoring six straight points in overtime to lead the Warriors to a 103-96 victory over Utah on a drama-filled night in Salt Lake City.
“I love the competitive spirit and their fire,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.
Curry’s reverse layup with 3:10 remaining in overtime gave the Warriors a 95-93 lead, and his two free throws with 2:19 on the clock put the Warriors ahead by four.
After Rodney Hood missed a desperation three-point try to beat the shot clock, Curry powered in a layup, drew a charge and then found Draymond Green for a game-clinching dunk.
The Warriors (68-7) set the franchise record for single-season victories and can turn their full attention to the league record.
The Warriors have to win five of their final seven regular-season games to break the mark, which will be cause for some drama.
[...] it’ll tough to live up to Wednesday’s theater, which included a heated on-court exchange between teammates and a pregame scare.
Four people fell a short distance from the bleachers while trying to get Curry’s autograph before the game.
After a railing leading to the visiting team’s tunnel was dislodged, the fans landed near Curry’s feet.
Curry signed items for the three who didn’t leave the scene.
Unfortunately, it got a little rambunctious with people leaning over each other.
The setting mimicked a playoff game in the fourth quarter, when Utah (37-38) appeared on the verge of an upset.
Green and Leandro Barbosa got into a demonstrative argument during the final minutes of the third quarter, and the Warriors were down by eight points with 6:10 remaining in regulation.
Green did the rest of his talking with his actions, tying the game with a layup at the 2:18 mark of the fourth quarter and blocking a potential game-winner by Shelvin Mack.
Seconds earlier, Klay Thompson had used a second try at a three-pointer, off a Shaun Livingston offensive rebound, to make it 89-89 with 15 seconds left.
“If I did (miss the second shot), I would have been sick with myself,” Thompson said.
Curry finished with 31 points and seven rebounds, Thompson added 18 points, and Green had 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Harrison Barnes had his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 boards and has scored in double figures in five straight times.
Utah got 21 points from Gordon Hayward, 20 points from Hood and 18 rebounds from Rudy Gobert.
The Jazz went into the halftime break trailing 42-40.
The Jazz scored the first nine points of the third quarter, taking a 49-42 lead on a Derrick Favors jumper with 8:11 remaining.
Trailing by six points, the Warriors opened the fourth quarter with this lineup:
The Warriors were down 79-71 when Curry and Green returned to the court and started the comeback with 7:19 on the clock.
Rusty Simmons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.
NBA season
The Warriors picked up their 68th win of the season when they prevailed 103-96 in overtime in Utah on Wednesday night.
Only five other teams in NBA history had at least 68 wins in the regular season:
Of the previous teams to get 68 or more victories, only the 1972-73 Celtics failed to win the NBA title.