Curry's 30 lead Warriors to sweep after 121-95 win over Jazz
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) controls the ball against Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) during the fourth quarter in game four of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, UT, May 8, 2017. [Photo/Agencies] |
Thompson rebounded from a six-point effort in Game 3 with back-to-back jumpers out the gate. Curry then drained consecutive 3s and the rout was on.
The Jazz started 3 for 16 from the field as Golden State hit from all areas and finished shooting 57.1 percent in the first quarter.
Curry picked up right where he left off after an 11-point fourth quarter in Game 3 with a 14-point first quarter. He, Thompson and Green combined for 29 points in that first 12 minutes.
The Jazz tried to put off their vacation. They used a 14-0 run early in the second quarter, sparked by the suddenly active Dante Exum and Derrick Favors, to cut the lead to 10 points. Utah closed the half with a 12-2 run to trail 60-52 at halftime, but every time the Jazz made a significant run the rest of the way, the Warriors answered and pushed the lead back to double digits.
The Jazz never led Monday and in three of the four games against the Warriors.
Utah ended a four-year playoff drought. Hayward developed into an All-Star and Rudy Gobert became a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The addition of veterans George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw to the young corps of Hayward, Gobert, Favors, Hood and Joe Ingles turned into the team's first second-round appearance since 2010.
"It's been a unique arc for us," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "The adversity that kind of continued to rear its head and the way these guys dealt with it. It was apropos tonight.
"What happened, happened. We got blitzed."Warriors coach Steve Kerr remains out after having a spinal cord leak procedure at Duke University on Friday. There is no timetable for his return. Kerr had back surgery about two years ago and has been dealing with complications. Brown took over as acting coach for Game 3 of the first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers.
AP