But that stat seemed irrelevant after the Warriors shot close to 60 percent from the field for the first three quarters, forced 17 Utah turnovers for the game and collected 24 assists during a 116-96 victory at Oracle Arena.

Corey Maggette came off the bench to score 24 points, Stephen Jackson was two assists away from the second triple-double of his career, and Ronny Turiaf helped limit Utah forward Paul Millsap to eight points as Golden State earned its second straight home win over a playoff-caliber team.

The Warriors beat Phoenix 124-112 last Wednesday when Jackson recorded his first triple-double and are now 12-12 at home this season.

"Well, if you would have seen Utah play against Dallas (a 115-87 Jazz win on Feb. 5), you would think that (this) was a different team. They were so good that game that I had to turn it off, I couldn't watch anymore," Warriors coach Don Nelson said. "We really played a good game. We moved the ball well and did a lot of good things defensively."

Without Biedrins, who is out until after the All-Star break with a sprained right ankle, the Warriors still managed to outscore the Jazz 50-42 in the paint and hold its starting frontcourt to a combined 35 points.

Millsap, who had 19 points and 14 rebounds against the Warriors when the two teams met on Jan. 5 in Salt Lake City, finished with eight points and six rebounds. He had to help guard Jackson on the perimeter, which Nelson said took away from Utah's defensive rotations.

The Jazz was also a dismal 5-for-19 on 3-point attempts and finished at 41.8 percent from the field, a number that was actually flattering considering the team was below 40 percent for much of the game.

Guard Deron Williams led Utah with 31 points and 10 assists.

The Warriors, conversely, shot 57.7 percent from the field for the first three quarters.

"We're so far away from where we were defensively a month ago. And I think we're continuing to get better," said guard Jamal Crawford, who helped spark an 18-2 run midway through the third quarter with eight straight points.

"It just feels good. (Utah) is so disciplined in what they do, and they have such a great point (in Williams) that it's tough on anybody. They run their cuts, they play hard, they're physical. But I think we're showing growth."

Utah, which had won three straight, was without the injured Andrei Kirilenko (right ankle), Brevin Knight (left quadriceps contusion) and Carlos Boozer (left knee).

Golden State's win also helps soothe the memory of last Monday's 110-105 overtime loss to San Antonio in which the Warriors coughed up a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter.

"I think we're making progress," said Jackson, who finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. "Hopefully we can put a couple (wins) together, put four or five together and try to get a win streak going."

The Warriors shot 52.8 percent in the first half in taking a 48-45 lead at the break. Maggette came off the bench to score 13 points, and Kelenna Azubuike and Jackson each had eight.

Anthony Randolph, who hadn't played in four of the past five games, finished with six points and five rebounds in a little less than 12 minutes.

Nelson had indicated that Rob Kurz and Jermareo Davidson would share the minutes left vacant by Biedrins, but Randolph played eight minutes in the first three quarters.

Monta Ellis, in one of his stronger efforts since returning from ankle surgery nine games ago, was 6-for-11 from the field for 12 points as he showed some of his old form.

"He did some things tonight that he hasn't been able to do, so we would expect that he would be able to keep building on the great skill that he has," Nelson said.

Contact Curtis Pashelka at cpashelka@bayareanewsgroup.com.Warriors 116,Jazz 96NEXT GAME: Tuesday, vs. Knicks, 7:30 p.m.