NBA PLAYOFFS: Golden State Defeats Jazz 106-94 In Game 1 of Round 2

Golden State Warriors fans show their support at the Oracle on May 2, 2017.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Oakland, Calif. –

The Golden State Warriors showed how well-rested they were while waiting on the Utah Jazz finish off the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games.

The Warriors, who swept the Portland Trail Blazers 4-0 in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs, displayed might and energy to beat the Jazz 106-94 At the Oracle in Game 1 of Round 2.

Stephen Curry lead the way with 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists while Draymond Green had 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists two steals, and two blocked shots.

The Warriors (1-0) had 29 fastbreak points to the Jazz’s 6. Golden State never trailed in the game and they only turned the basketball over seven times.

“Oh, it was a tough game for us,” said Jazz power forward Derrick Favors, who had four points and five rebounds. “Offensively and defensively they are a good team. We just got to come back the next game and adjust to the way they play. They play a lot different in the playoffs.”

Kevin Durant had 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists and Klay Thompson had 15 points, two rebounds, and two assists for Golden State. Zaza Pachulia contributed 10 points. The Warriors recorded 32 assists in the game.

“I thought two of our bigs were good moving the basketball,” said Warriors interim coach Mike Brown. “David West had seven assists. Draymond Green was terrific. He had six assists. Andre (Iguodala) had five assists.”

Curry started the Ws’ party by scoring 12 points in the first quarter. The Warriors made 10-of-21 shots from the field in the first quarter and unified for eight assists in the process. The Jazz missed their first six shots before getting on the board.

The Warriors caught fire in less than three minutes in second quarter by going on a 12-4 run. By this stage of the game, Golden State was shooting 57.7 percent from the floor with 12 assists in the mix to make the score 39-25.

The Warriors went up by 17 points on a dunk by Durant with 1:06 to play in the first half. Golden State led 58-46 at halftime. Golden State only turned ball over four times and had 18 fastbreak points. The Jazz had nine miscues handling the basketball in the first 24 minutes.

The Jazz got within 11 points of the Warriors lead on three occasions in the third quarter, the last try when the team trailed 84-73 going into the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter, it was a ho-hum affair. The Jazz could not muster up any type fight for a comeback. The 48-hour turnaround from the Clippers to the Warriors was an exhausting sequence. The one shining spot was that Golden State biggest lead was only 21 points and the Warriors didn’t hit their average of 119 points per game in the playoffs.

Rudy Gobert had 13 points, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots. Gordon Hayward had 12 points, but shot 4-for-15 from the field. Rodney Hood came off the bench for 12 points for the Jazz (0-1).

“This is a team that you need a lot of preparation for and we only had one day,” Hood said. “We just got to adjust quickly and get ready for Game 2. We gotta come back ready to play.”

By T. Ray Harvey | PA Public Information Officer and Photographic Artist

Twitter: Tony Ray Harvey @PublicityAgents

PUBLIC INFORMATION:

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS:

The Golden State Warriors celebrated the 2007 “We Believe” team with an on-court recognition during the first game of Round 2 at Oracle Arena. The celebration took place one day shy of the 10th year anniversary of the 2006-2007 historic First Round upset over the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks.

The Warriors’s 111-86 victory in Game 6 became the first time a No. 8 seed knockout a No. 1 seed in a best-of-series in NBA History. The date was May 3, 2007.

Former Warriors from that squad in attendance were Kelenna Azubuike, Zarko Cabarkapa, Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Adonal Foyle, Stephen Jackson, Patrick O’Bryant and Jason Richardson.

Matt Barnes, currently on the Warriors’ roster, is the only member on the team from that era. Barnes averaged 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 30 minutes during the postseason with Golden State.

Golden State interim head coach Mike Brown said he was not for sure that Steve Kerr would be on the sidelines when the Warriors take on the Jazz in Game 2.

Kerr has been dealing with fluid leakage in his back and has been getting medical attention at Stanford University to diagnose the problem. Brown is 3-o coaching the Warriors in the playoffs, a position he may be in for the duration.

“That’s a question for Bob (Meyers),” Brown said of the Warriors general manager in regards to Kerr’s return.

Kevin Looney did not play for the Warriors due to a left hip strain.
Matt Barnes and Shaun Livingston were in uniform against Utah after sitting out the Trail Blazers series with various injuries.
Before the start of the fourth quarter all five starters for the Warriors were in double figures (Durant, Green, Pachulia, Thompson, and Curry).

UTAH JAZZ:

On May 2, 2003, John Stockton announces his retirement.
Jazz scored 46 points in the paint against the Warriors, but only went to the free-throw line 12 times, making nine shots.