LDN - Sports

Warriors turn back Jazz to take 2-0 series lead

[May 05, 2017] OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors still haven't lost this postseason, but they did experience something new Thursday night.

Sweat.

Draymond Green led an early run-away with a pair of 3-pointers that produced a 20-point lead, but the Warriors couldn't put the Utah Jazz away until the final two minutes of their 115-104 victory in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.

"It wasn't easy," Warriors coach Mike Brown said. "We know we can play better. We broke down in a lot of areas where we should have been better."

Green (21), Kevin Durant (25) and Stephen Curry (23) all topped 20 points for the Warriors, who will take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series to Salt Lake City for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday.

"I wouldn't use the word discouraged," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said of the state of his team. "You're encouraged about some of the things you did."

Utah's Gordon Hayward, held to 12 points in Tuesday's 106-94 loss in Game 1, led all scorers with 33 points.

The biggest scare the Warriors survived in the game occurred early in the fourth period when Green fell to the court while trying an awkward driving shot against Jazz center Rudy Gobert.

The Golden State defensive star quickly regained his feet, but he grabbed at his left knee as he dropped back to the floor, which resulted in a stoppage of play.

Green was able to walk to the locker room, where he was examined. Shortly thereafter, he returned to the bench.

"I knew my knee was locking up a little bit," said Green, who clearly was concerned less than most of the sellout crowd. "Obviously it's always good to know you're OK."

Unlike Game 1, when Golden State was able to sit Curry for the fourth quarter after he had twisted his left ankle, the Warriors rushed Green back into the game with 5:16 to go and the Jazz having climbed within 102-93.

The Jazz still had a chance, down 109-102 after a Rodney Hood interior hoop with 2:04 to play, before Durant found Andre Iguodala open under the basket for the game-clinching score with 1:45 left.

"What it shows us is Utah has some confidence," Brown said of the fifth-seeded club. "They're going to be even more confident playing at home."

Durant scored a majority of his 25 points on 13 of 15 free throws. He led the Warriors with 11 rebounds and tied Curry for game-high honors in assists, with seven.

Green and Curry each shot 5-for-8 on 3-pointers as the Warriors rebounded from a substandard effort from beyond the arc in Game 1 to connect on 14 of 31.

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Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates against the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter in game two of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Jazz 115-104. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

"They're a great defensive team, and great defensive teams usually collapse in the paint and help," Curry said. "When you do that, they take away Klay (Thompson), take away K.D. (Durant) or me on the wing.

"Draymond obviously is a more-than-capable 3-point shooter. We love that shot. It gives us a huge lift. And if that jumper travels when we go to Utah, those shots will be open."

Hayward connected on 11 of 21 shots, including 3-for-8 on 3-pointers, for the Jazz. He had been 4-for-15 in the opening loss.

"Once we settled in, we kind of figured it out a little bit," Hayward said of the Utah offense. "We figured out how to get into the paint and get some shots for ourselves, some better looks. Our spacing was a lot better. We're going to have to take that and move forward with it."

Gobert snatched a game-high 16 rebounds to go with 16 points for Utah, and Shelvin Mack, subbing for injured George Hill, added 14 points.

The top-seeded Warriors, who opened Game 1 with a 9-0 burst, were even better in the encore.

It began with a 12-3 flurry anchored by Green's first two 3-pointers.

Then, after the Jazz stabilized and hung within 21-11 in the eighth minute of the period, Golden State tightened the defensive screws, harassing the visitors into nine consecutive misses during a 12-2 run that opened a 33-13 advantage.

Green scored 12 of his 21 points in the period.

The Jazz, hitting 26 of their 42 shots in the second and third periods, rallied within 10 late in the second period and six in the third. But Green ended one spurt with an assist on a Durant hoop and stopped another run with a hoop of his own, keeping Utah within arm's length.

NOTES: Jazz PG George Hill sat out with a sprained left big toe. The injury is not considered to be series-threatening. ... The Warriors have yet to trail in the series. ... The Warriors have opened the postseason 6-0 for the first time. ... Utah is now 0-3 this postseason when SF Gordon Hayward scores at least 30 points. ... Warriors coach Steve Kerr is not expected to travel with the team when it leaves for Salt Lake City on Friday.

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