Warriors at Jazz
7:30 pm CDT
ABC
Just one game on the slate tonight, and it’s in a series that has yet to be competitive. The Warriors are in Utah tonight to take on a Jazz team they totally outclassed over the first two games in Oakland. There is a vast gulf in talent in this match-up, which is not to take anything away from the Jazz’s accomplishments this season. Reaching 50 wins and winning a first round series on the road is a successful season, especially a team that has struggled so much in recent seasons.
But the Warriors are a clearly superior team, and for them the Jazz are another stepping stone on the road to what they hope is a second NBA championship in three years. The first two games of the series were similar: The Warriors dominated early and built a significant lead, then eased off and more or less cruised to wins with final scores that look comfortable. In truth they were more than “comfortable” victories, as the Jazz never really challenged and there was never a sense that they could actually win.
This is true despite the Warriors shooting the ball only okay, not particularly well. They are below their season averages in field goal percentage, but have limited their turnovers (12 a night.) which is something the Jazz need to do better at if they want to grab a game this series. The Jazz really needed to dominate the turnovers and rebounding to have any shot in this series, since they were never going to out-shoot the Warriors, but so far it hasn’t happened, with the Warriors winning each of the four factors.
While Stephen Curry has shot the ball well, it’s been Draymond Green who has dominated the series for the Warriors. Over 50 percent shooting from both two and three, 19-7.5-6 per night along with three steals a game, he’s been showing off the all court game that makes him one of the most valuable weapons in the league. The Jazz simply have no answer for him. Gordon Hayward bounced back from a poor game one to score 33 in game two, but it made little difference. The Jazz simply don’t have enough to keep up.
I’d love to see the Jazz get a win in this series, I think it would be great for their home fans, but a sweep wouldn’t surprise at this point.
Enjoy the game. Chat here.