The 2016-17 Utah Jazz season came to an end with a 121-95 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night in Salt Lake City.
After winning 51 games in the regular season and defeating the LA Clippers 4-3 in the first round of the playoffs, the Jazz were swept by the high-powered Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Gordon Hayward once again led the Jazz in scoring with 25 points. Excluding his food poisoning game—when he scored three points in nine minutes—Hayward averaged 26.2 points in 10 postseason games.
Rudy Gobert finished with 12 points, 13 rebounds and one block, while Shelvin Mack scored 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting.
Steph Curry went off for 30 points (on 9-for-15 shooting), and Draymond Green finished with a triple-double (17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) in the win. Klay Thompson bounced back with 21 points after scoring only six points in Game 3 on Saturday.
Monday's Best
The Jazz were in some serious trouble when Danté Exum entered the game late in the first quarter. And then ... the young guard took over, scoring nine second-quarter points—including two on a double-clutch, two-handed dunk in traffic—to spark Utah's lethargic offense. And Exum didn't just score. He turned up the D on Green and Curry; hit the boards with a big offensive rebound that led to his own corner three; and provided an injection of energy that quickly spread to the entire team. In all, Exum finished with 15 points (the most he's scored since dropping 22 against the Thunder on March 11) to go along with three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 32 minutes.
Key Stretches
Golden State once again blitzed the Jazz early, building a double-digit lead within five minutes of the opening tip. By the end of the first quarter, the Warriors led 39-17. Utah shot 6-for-25 in the opening quarter, while Golden State shot 12-for-21. Hayward and Gobert combined for 10 of Utah's 17 points. Curry had 14 points for Golden State.
The Jazz went on a 14-0 run early in the second quarter to get themselves (and the crowd) back in the game. Joe Ingles made a bucket, and then Derrick Favors scored six straight points—including a two-handed dunk over Green. Exum threw down a driving dunk and then Joe Johnson made two free throws. Exum capped the run with a layup that cut the deficit to 10 and forced a Golden State timeout.
The Warriors responded with eight straight points and pushed their lead back to 18, but the Jazz closed the first half on a 12-2 run and trailed by only eight at the half. Buckets by Johnson and Hayward, along with threes by Ingles and Exum, kept Utah rolling.
The teams played a back-and-forth third quarter, with the Jazz staying within single digits until Curry and Andre Iguodala sank back-to-back threes to push Golden State's lead back to 14. Hayward scored 12 points in the third period, while Mack added 11 points.
Utah ran out of gas down the stretch as Golden State pulled away for the lopsided victory. The Warriors outscored the Jazz 28-16 in the fourth quarter.
Significant Stats
63.9
Utah shot only 37.1 percent from the field, while Golden State was on fire throughout the night. The Warriors shot 51.2 percent from the field, 42.3 percent (11-for-26) from 3-point range, and 88.9 percent (24-for-27) from the free-throw line for a true shooting percentage of 63.9. Utah's true shooting percentage was 46.9
-15
The Warriors dictated the pace of the game, getting out in the open court and outscoring the Jazz 19-4 in transition.
Coach's Quote of the Night
Notable
The Warriors have won all eight of their playoff games and 23 of their past 24 games overall. ... George Hill (toe) missed his third consecutive game. ... Rodney Hood sprained his knee early in the fourth quarter and did not return to the game. He finished with two points on 1-for-5 shooting in 14 minutes. ... Kevin Durant finished with 18 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Warriors. ... Ingles snagged a game-high four steals. ... Utah outscored Golden State 46-40 in the paint.
Up Next
The Jazz will open up the 2017-18 season sometime in October. The NBA Draft is on June 22 and will be followed by the 2017 Utah Jazz Summer League.
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