Warriors take 3-0 series lead over Jazz: 3 takeaways from Game 3
The Golden State Warriors, behind Kevin Durant, were able to beat the Utah Jazz on Saturday, giving them a 3-0 series lead.
Just for a second, everyone thought that the Jazz might actually win a game in this series. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were having a poor shooting night. Draymond Green was arguing with the referees and starting to bring out the bad side of himself.
The Jazz had the crowd behind them and had all the hustle plays go their way. Rudy Gobert was dominant in the paint and Gordon Hayward was causing damage like usual. Yet, look up when the final buzzer sounds and the Warriors won 102-91.
This is exactly what GM Bob Myers had hoped for when Kevin Durant decided to sign with the Golden State Warriors. Their three home-grown stars are having an off-night in the playoffs, especially in a hostile environment, but Durant is able to bring them home. It’s games like these that remind everyone that Kevin Durant is still the best player on this team and the second-best player on this planet.
Durant was spectacular tonight, scoring 38 points on 15-for-26 shooting, with 13 rebounds, leading the Warriors to a 3-0 series lead over the Jazz. Curry had a slow start shooting the ball, but was able to still pitch in 23 points, five rebounds and four assists.
On the other hand, the Jazz got solid contributions from Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert, but it still doesn’t seem to be enough. Hayward had 29 points on 7-for-18 shooting, with six assists. Gobert was effective on both sides of the floor, adding in 21 points and 15 rebounds.
After everything, the Warriors will walk out of Vivint Smart Home Arena, up 3-0 in this Western Conference Semifinals. They will look to complete the sweep on Monday in Utah. Here’s the box score below from Game 3.
Let’s take a look at three takeaways from this Game 3 between the Jazz and Warriors.
3 Takeaways
Kevin Durant is unstoppable in this series. There was a stretch in the second quarter when the Warriors went to Durant three straight times in the post and he came away with three easy baskets on Gordon Hayward. Durant showed tonight, why he’s unstoppable in this series and also the best pure scorer on this planet.
Durant was a one-man show tonight, hitting from long distance, the mid-range, the post and also in the lane. He was scoring at will and none of the Jazz defenders could slow him down. If the Jazz put a smaller defender on Durant, he backed them down and shot over him. If they put a taller, slower player, Durant was able to drive right by them.
This was the Kevin Durant that was in Oklahoma City. An isolation scorer that couldn’t be slowed down by a defender. That was the guy that the Warriors needed tonight, with the other stars struggling. Easy Money Sniper, as they like to call him, was also the primary ball handler down the stretch, in a tight game. He was the point forward down the stretch, similar to what LeBron James does for the Cavaliers night in and night out.
Regardless, the Jazz don’t have a defender that can stay with Durant and although he didn’t have this kind of impact in Games 1 and 2, Durant was absolutely unstoppable tonight.
The Jazz can start making vacation plans. Sorry, Jazz fans, your team’s season is over, likely on Monday when Game 4 takes place. Utah’s best chance to get a win and potentially get back into the series was tonight. The Jazz are at home, the raucous Salt Lake City crowd behind them and it seemed like they had they had all the momentum after Draymond Green’s technical foul.
Yet, every time the Warriors seemed to falter, the Jazz seemed to keep Golden State in the game, with missed open looks. Credit to the Warriors’ tough defense in the second half, but this was Utah’s game for the taking and they couldn’t get over the hump.
Hayward and Gobert are young stars that will be fantastic, perennial all-stars probably, but they don’t have the horses to compete with the Warriors. It was most obvious tonight, as Golden State went isolation with Durant and he delivered, but the Jazz had to work for every single basket, with ball movement and crisp passing.
Sorry to break it to you Jazz fans, the Warriors won’t blow this series lead and will probably complete the sweep.
Golden State’s defense was smothering. With 7:53 left in the third quarter, the Utah Jazz were up 62-53. They were hitting all their shots, moving the ball and flustering the Warriors’ defense. Over the final 19:28 of the game, the Warriors went on a 40-28 run to close out the game. Over the last quarter and a half, the Dubs showed that they were the best defensive team in the NBA.
It didn’t matter who was on the court, they were switching and absolutely hounding the Jazz. Led by Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Draymond Green, the Warriors were able to force Jazz into poor shots consistently down the stretch.
Next: Every NBA team's greatest playoff moment
Not only that, Golden State was able to secure defensive rebounds, even with Gobert on the floor, which meant that there was only one possession for the Jazz. In the first half, the Utah big man was getting a lot of open looks under the rim, but the Warriors were able to make adjustments and not allow similar looks down the stretch.
With Game 4 on Monday, the Warriors will look to end Utah’s season, completing the four-game sweep in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. The Jazz on the other hand will look to save their season in front of their home fans, looking to extend it to a Game 5. The Warriors will surely enjoy the nightlife in Salt Lake City tonight after this gutsy win.