ORACLE ARENA, OAKLAND, CA — This is a continuation of the halftime recap of the Utah Jazz at the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors led, 51-49, at halftime.
Q3: Warriors Use Transition To Close Gap
Stephen Curry started the second half by smoking a reverse layup, then got a shoulder while back-pedaling, trying to defend a drive by Joe Ingles, with no call.
Draymond Green, who had just gotten entangled with Rudy Gobert somewhat harmlessly under the hoop (no call needed), didn’t like the fact that there was no call for Curry, and got a technical foul, at which he smiled.
It was Green’s 15th technical of the season, meaning one more and he would be suspended one game, however, there is only one regular season game remaining and the technicals reset at the start of playoffs.
Curry hit a jumper, but Dante Exum answered with a layup and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called timeout as that evened the score, 59-59, with 8:01 remaining.
Later, Shelvin Mack got swatted by Zaza Pachulia, and Kevin Durant went coast-to-coast:
[protected-iframe id=”b492f98aaee5cbb327ead4b81a479c06-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FNBCSWarriors%2Fstatus%2F851647114840915968″ width=”360″ height=”250″ frameborder=”0″]But Mack and Joe Johnson hit consecutive threes to give the Jazz a small cushion, and after Andre Iguodala also smoked a layup, Ingles ran pick-and-roll with Gobert and Gobert slammed home two points as JaVale McGee got caught in the perimeter action.
Durant came alive, though, and drew free throws on another coast-to-coast attack after Green stopped Gobert at the rim, then added a smash, crossing over Exum at the perimeter…
[protected-iframe id=”02be0f3de22e5a32a023976e93ec1dc4-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FNBCSWarriors%2Fstatus%2F851648866759852036″ width=”360″ height=”250″ frameborder=”0″]…forcing Jazz head coach Quin Snyder to call timeout with 3:20 to play, holding just a 69-67 lead.
Out of the timeout, Johnson missed a jump hook, then McGee handed off to Curry, and Steph fed him back for the emphatic alley-oop:
[protected-iframe id=”0b7b4a818848b8d01557360e52b0f7f6-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FJaeAzizi%2Fstatus%2F851649430407102464″ width=”360″ height=”250″ frameborder=”0″]Later, Durant found a cutting Shaun Livingston for a dunk…
[protected-iframe id=”55160fe1171bc02281088f6a710e7439-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FJaeAzizi%2Fstatus%2F851649757302804480″ width=”360″ height=”250″ frameborder=”0″]…but Iguodala missed a three and Patrick McCaw a jam attempt before the buzzer.
The game was tied at 74-74 headed into the final frame.
Q4: Kerr Closes Out With Bench
Durant continued his momentum into the fourth quarter, drawing two free throws, then going right side past Ingles and Joel Bolomboy for a jam, prompting Snyder to call timeout as the Warriors crept ahead, 78-74:
[protected-iframe id=”7805ffa99952dbbb3522d8f5d2bc52d9-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FNBCSWarriors%2Fstatus%2F851652265689595904″ width=”360″ height=”250″ frameborder=”0″]But Johnson responded with a three and a fade-away over David West.
Livingston missed a dribble-and-pop, and Andre Iguodala was there for the two-hand putback smash, but Gobert scored inside and Shelvin Mack drew an and-one on a drive against West, keeping the pressure on, and after another Gobert bucket inside, Kerr called timeout with 5:22 to go, the Jazz up, 88-84.
In a spot normally expected for Steph, Kerr brought in Ian Clark and James McAdoo to close out with McCaw, West, and McGee, with Curry already icing his quad.
Snyder opted for Exum, Mack, Johnson, Boris Diaw and Gobert.
[stay tuned for the rest later — headed to the tunnel to film the postgame!][twitter-follow screen_name=’poormanscommish’ show_count=’yes’]
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