The Warriors once again blitzed the Jazz right from the opening tip, but Utah punched back and took Golden State down to the wire before falling 115-104 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals Thursday night.
Utah trails 0-2 as the series shifts to Salt Lake City for games on Saturday and Monday.
Gordon Hayward bounced back from a 12-point showing in Game 1 with a game-high 33 points for the Jazz. Rudy Gobert double-doubled with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Shelvin Mack started in place of George Hill—who missed the game with a lingering toe injury—and scored 14 points in 31 minutes.
Kevin Durant led Golden State in points (25), rebounds (11) and assists (seven). Steph Curry added 23 points, while Draymond Green finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Both Curry and Green shot 5-for-8 from 3-point range.
Thursday's Best
Hayward had a rough go early on, shooting only 1-for-5 in the first quarter. He got rolling, though, with eight points in the second quarter (and 21 in the second half). Overall, Hayward shot 11-for-19 from the field (including 3-for-8 from 3-point range) and 8-for-9 from the free-throw line. He added five rebounds, four assists and one steal in 40 minutes. This was the third time Hayward has scored at least 30 points this postseason (and the fifth time he's scored at least 25).
Key Stretches
The Warriors were on fire from the opening tip and eventually took a 20-point lead midway through the second quarter. The Jazz, though, responded with a 10-0 run, and they trailed by 13 at halftime. Hayward hit three shots—including a banked-in runner and a tough turnaround jumper—and Gobert threw down two straight monster dunks (off slick passes from Mack and Hayward).
The Jazz kept things rolling in the third quarter, starting the second half on a 10-3 run to cut Golden State's lead to six. Johnson and Mack each made a 3-pointer, while Gobert and Rodney Hood added buckets in the paint. Golden State, though, pushed its lead back to 15 within three minutes.
The Jazz kept things close until the final whistle, pulling within seven with 2:04 to go before eventually falling by 11. Hayward scored nine points in the fourth quarter, while Danté Exum added five.
Significant Stats
+8
The Jazz outscored the Warriors 67-59 during the second and third quarters. Utah shot 26-for-42 (61.9 percent) from the field over that stretch.
Hood failed to make a 3-pointer for the second straight game. He's now 0-for-9 from beyond the arc during the series (and 1-for-18 over his last four games).
19
After getting outscored 29-6 in fast-break points in Game 1, the Jazz made a conscious effort to prevent Golden State from getting out in transition (mostly by committing "take" fouls before the Warriors could get down the court). The results were significantly better—Golden State scored 19 fast-break points to Utah's 18 in Game 2.
22
Utah forced 17 Golden State turnovers (compared to seven in Game 1) and turned those into 22 points (compared to only four in Game 1).
Coach's Quote of the Night
Notable
Exum chipped in seven points, two assists and a steal, and he finished with a team-best net rating of +4 in 14 minutes off the bench. ... Utah shot 16-for-20 (80.0 percent) from the free-throw line. ... The Warriors have won all six of their playoff games this year. ... Former Jazz guard Ian Clark scored eight points in nine minutes off the bench for the Warriors. He shot 3-for-6 from 3-point range. ... The Jazz shot 12-for-32 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range.
Up Next
The Jazz will return home to take on the Warriors for Game 3 on Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. MT, and the game will be televised on ABC.
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