The Warriors went on a 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter to help secure a 102-91 comeback victory over the Jazz in Game 3 on Saturday night. Kevin Durant was sensational all game long, posting a double-double and leading all scorers with 38 points in the contest. Stephen Curry recorded 23 points and four assists, while Andre Iguodala added 11 points and four rebounds off the bench. With the victory, Golden State takes a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.
GAME LEADERS
Utah managed to accomplish a feat in Game 3 that had escaped them in the first two games of the series – that being, holding a lead. Unfortunately for the Jazz, however, it was Golden State on top when the final buzzer sounded.
Both sides struggled to score from the opening tip, with Stephen Curry breaking the scoreless tie just under two minutes into the game. Kevin Durant registered his first of many points on the night on a 15-foot jumper at the 8:19 mark of the first quarter to put the Warriors up 8-3, but the Jazz responded by scoring seven of the next nine points to tie it once more. 15 seconds later, Durant drained his first of four three-pointers in the game to ignite a 9-1 Golden State run to put the Dubs back in front. Utah would cut the deficit down to five before Andre Iguodala converted his first three-pointer of the postseason, after which Durant scored again to give the Warriors a 27-17 lead at the end of the first frame.
After Joe Johnson opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, Draymond Green and Ian Clark converted consecutive baskets to give Golden State a 31-20 lead with 9:17 remaining in the half. That’s as large of an advantage as they’d hold until the final minutes of the game, however, as Utah began to climb their way back from there. Durant provided all six of the Warriors points over the next four-and-a-half minutes, over the course of which the Jazz cut the deficit to 37-34. Durant eventually rebuilt a seven-point cushion with another three-pointer at the 2:28 mark, but Utah answered with an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the series on Rodney Hood’s three-pointer with exactly one minute remaining in the half. David West momentarily put the Warriors back in front eight seconds later, but Rudy Gobert’s free throws with 26 seconds left gave Utah a 50-49 lead going into halftime. Durant accounted for 27 of Golden State’s 49 points through the first two quarters and was the only Warriors player in double-digits.
Durant put the Warriors back in front with a five-foot jumper just over a minute into the second half, but Gordon Hayward scored on the ensuing possession to ignite a 12-2 Utah run that would give the Jazz their largest lead of the entire game with 7:28 remaining in the third quarter. Zaza Pachulia answered with a three-point play, and Durant’s three-pointer with 4:58 remaining in the frame pulled the Warriors within 62-60. After the Jazz rebuilt an eight-point cushion, JaVale McGee’s dunk followed by a Curry three-pointer and jumper in succession put Golden State back in front at 67-66 with 2:35 left in the quarter. The Warriors would tie the game twice through the remainder of the frame before Iguodala’s dunk with 25 seconds left sent the game into the fourth quarter with Golden State holding a slim 72-70 advantage.
The Jazz would take a one-point lead on two separate occasions within the opening six minutes of the final frame, but Green’s layup at the 6:09 mark put the Warriors in front for good. That basket began a 6-0 Golden State burst to put the Dubs up 84-79 with 5:05 left to play. Hayward cut it to a two-point deficit with three free throws at the 3:56 mark, but that was as close as the Jazz would get for the rest of the night. Golden State went to their superstars in crunch time, and their two former MVPs responded when called upon. Curry and Durant sank back-to-back three-pointers within the next minute, after which Curry converted three free throws to complete a 9-0 Warriors run that would prove to be the difference in the contest. Durant accounted for Golden State’s next four points, and Curry’s three-pointer with 30 seconds left gave the Warriors their largest lead of the entire game at 102-89. Hayward made two-of-three free throws in the remaining time, but Golden State walked out of Vivint Smart Home Arena with a 102-91 Game 3 victory.
In totaling postseason-highs of 38 points and 13 rebounds, Durant became the first Warriors player with at least 25 points and 10 boards in consecutive playoff games since Nate Thurmond in 1975. With the win, Golden State takes a 3-0 lead in the series heading into Game 4 on Monday. The Warriors have now won seven-straight playoff games, setting a franchise record for the longest winning streak in a single postseason.