HALFTIME RECAP WITH HIGHLIGHTS: WCS Game 4 – Warriors Start Off Strong, But Utah Jazz Gain Momentum, Now Trail 60-52

VIVINT SMART HOME ARENA, SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Two nights after taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the 2017 Western Conference Semifinals, the Golden State Warriors (3-0) were back to try and close out in Game 4 against the host Utah Jazz (0-3).

The Warriors were without Kevon Looney (left hip strain).

Jazz head coach Quin Snyder started Shelvin Mack in place of the injured George Hill.

Q1: Pour It On

Golden State made a concerted effort to get Klay Thompson going early, and he responded, hitting a baseline turnaround jumper over the shorter Shelvin Mack, then draining a long two after a steal of a pass from Joe Ingles.

Later, Stephen Curry drove to find Draymond Green under the hoop, albeit guarded by Rudy Gobert. Green flipped the ball back to Curry, who back-pedaled with the dribble, then hit the three from the corner.

Steph hit another triple after shorting one…

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…the ball going off a Jazz player and possession retained, with Draymond providing the assist, and at the first timeout, the Warriors held a 10-3 lead with 8:46 remaining.

The Warriors continued to pour it on, as Green got a dunk after an up-fake from the left side…

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…Curry found Kevin Durant on a baseline inbound, then Durant re-fed Steph for a reverse layup…

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…and Thompson posted up Mack in the paint and drew Mack’s third personal foul, forcing Snyder to go to his bench early.

But Curry went tic-tac-toe to Draymond to a cutting Klay, the crowd groaned as Gordon Hayward missed a dribble-and-pop, then Joe Johnson fouled Steph as he dribbled past the halfcourt circle and was smart enough to go into a shooting motion. The ref gave him three free throws, and Curry’s trip to the line gave the Warriors a 21-7 lead.

After Rodney Hood missed a three then traveled after Zaza Pachulia smoked a touchdown pass from Draymond, Green hit a catch-and-shoot swish from the left arc via overhead pass from Steph…

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…then Curry hit Andre Iguodala in transition for a jumper, and with 2:51 to play, Golden State’s lead grew to 28-10.

JaVale McGee came in and put back his own miss at the rim against Gobert, drew a trip to the line as he got hit by Hood on a nice reverse pass from Livingston, and goal-tended a Johnson runner.

Curry drew three more free throws as Hood closed out too hard from the left corner, and McGee dunked on the break after another Johnson miss…

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…and the Warriors took a 39-15 lead into the second stanza.

Q2: Righting The Ship, Then Springing A Leak

David West missed a jumper, then a nice move under the hoop trickled off the rim, and Ian Clark got a bucket on the run, but made a bad pass and things started going downhill from there.

Derrick Favors got a dunk fed by Ingles, and Favors got another smash, this time a two-hander, from Johnson, and Warriors head coach Mike Brown took a timeout with 9:53 to go and his lead dwindled to 41-25.

But after the timeout, Durant missed a runner off the bank too hard, Klay committed an offensive foul pulling defensive hands away, and Green missed a three badly.

Meanwhile, Dante Exum blew past Thompson for a two-hand jam, Johnson drew an up-fake foul on West, and Exum got a layup on a cut, the assist by Ingles, and Brown called another timeout as the Jazz crept to within 41-31 with 8:36 left.

But the Warriors’ new drought-stopper, Durant, went to work and drove in for a layup, then drilled a triple on the catch from Green, and the ship was righted:

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Draymond struck again from the left corner on a dish by Steph, Curry answered a bucket by Hood by attacking and pulling up from the free throw line, and Green hit Livingston, who hit KD for a bounce pass and a dunk down the left side:

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Steph got a rebound and raced up the court for a lefty lay-in over the rim, and with 4:05 remaining, the Warriors were back in control, up 56-38 as Snyder called a twenty-second timeout:

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Later, Johnson missed a triple from the left arc, Durant snagged the board and darted up the court, missing a layup as Utah was in pursuit, then getting his own rebound for the putback on the other side of the board.

With 2:14 to play, the Warriors held a 58-40 lead.

But the Jazz made a push to end the half, with Hayward making a strong move against Green, Ingles popping a triple from the left arc on a side inbound, and Hayward using an upfake to draw defenders and dishing to Exum from the left corner for three. Klay also missed a jumper with no one underneath, although he had just hit one.

Draymond couldn’t convert against the smaller Exum, Hayward drew a trip to the line on a drive against Curry, and Steph couldn’t answer at the buzzer, and the Warriors went into halftime with a 60-52 lead, but the Jazz had the momentum.

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(Photo: @letsgowarriors Instagram account via @gavanbruderer)