Kevin Durant wills Warriors to victory
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Utah Jazz on Kevin Durant’s incredible 38 performance in a tough road environment.
When the Golden State Warriors decided to go out and get Kevin Durant, it was for the postseason. They didn’t need him in the regular season, seeing as how Steph Curry and co. won 73 games the year before. They needed Durant for the playoffs.
He took over. Durant finished with 38 points and 13 rebounds. He made 15 of his 26 field goal attempts and knocked down half of his threes.
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The Utah Jazz put up a fight. They were physical and managed to slow down the pace to suit their style.
Despite that, the Warriors still managed to come away with a 102-91. After not leading at all in the first two games, the Jazz had the Warriors up against the ropes. They led after the half and were forcing the Dubs into making mistakes.
The Jazz’s dynamic duo of Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert were brilliant. Hayward had 29 points and 6 assists. The big man had 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Gobert was asserting himself throughout the game, almost too much. With inconsistent officiating, the Utah center was able to get away with push offs down low. He tried to give Durant a shove and the former MVP wasn’t having it.
KD pushed him back and the two players came together. They exchanged words and Durant was assessed a flagrant and technical foul. He then came down and closed out the game, hitting a bank shot over Hayward.
Curry started the game off slowly, but scored 18 points in the second half. He finished with 23 on the night. He also came away with five rebounds and four assists while playing good defense on whoever Utah put in front of him.
Draymond Green had an up-and-down night. He picked up a technical foul after arguing with the referees after some tough foul calls. He was clearly frustrated and his three-point shot went missing. He only had 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.
The Jazz were energized, but they just didn’t have enough talent to top the Warriors. Ultimately, it came down to Curry and Durant doing what they do best.
The Warriors have taken a 3-0 lead over the Jazz and will look to close it out in Game 4 on Monday.