It was a cast of unknowns who led Golden State, with you-haven't-heard-of-him C.J. Watson scoring 38 points. Watson, a second-year player, had a previous career best of 26.

Even the coach was a backup. Golden State assistant Keith Smart was taking one of his sporadic turns as the head coach, with head coach Don Nelson stepping aside to give Smart some experience.

Though the Jazz took a 31-28 lead through one quarter, Smart's Warriors got red hot in the second quarter. The Warriors scored 36 points in the second quarter. They shot 13-for-19 from the floor, they were 4-for-6 from three-point range and 6-for-6 at the foul line.

Good thing. With a young squad, Smart said his team could ill afford to have a bad quarter against the Jazz.

"If we'd gotten down 15 points, the game would have been over," Smart said.

The only time the Warriors' lead was in jeopardy came late in the fourth quarter. The Jazz closed to within five points, but with 2:37 to play, Golden State's Anthony Morrow tipped an offensive rebound back off the glass and through the net for a seven-point lead. Morrow then hit a foul shot to make it eight points. A minute later, Deron Williams was blocked on a coast-to-coast drive by Ronny Turiaf, who then rolled in a bucket of his own to seal the Jazz's fate.

The Warriors were upbeat after picking up their 29th win. Robert Kurz, an undrafted player out of Notre Dame, had 21 points off the bench.

Not bad for a guy who played in the Rocky Mountain Revue last summer.

"We just look at it as a good opportunity to get a win on the road," Kurz said.

jpatrick@sltrib.com Out of nowhere

Four Golden State players played in the Rocky Mountain Revue last summer. How they fared Saturday against the Jazz:

Reb. Ast. Pts.