Warriors defeat Jazz 121-95, advance to Western Conference Finals

The Golden State Warriors sent the Utah Jazz packing tonight with a 121-95 win. Golden State has yet to lose a game in the playoffs as they move on to face either the San Antonio Spurs or the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals.

Draymond Green managed his third playoff triple-double — with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists — coming back into the game late in the fourth quarter to do so. He also shot 3-of-5 from downtown, becoming just the third player in franchise history, behind Curry and Thompson, to make 100 3-point shots in the playoffs.

Stephen Curry had a game-high 30 points, with five rebounds and seven assists and Klay Thompson had 21 points — going on a solo 9-0 run against the Jazz in the middle of the fourth quarter.

Kevin Durant, who was scoreless in the first quarter, came back to score 10 in the second, on his way to 18 points, six rebounds and five assists on the night.

It was another strong night for Ian Clark, with eight points in six minutes, and JaVale McGee, who scored 12 points in just over 11 minutes. Including a rare mid-range jumper:

The first quarter was a bloodbath, with the Splash Brothers going on a 10-3 run in the first three minutes. Curry managed to get the call on a couple of fouls that resulted in six free-throw points and everyone but Durant was able to get in on the fun.

Durant, however, helped keep the Warriors in the lead in the second quarter as defensive breakdowns allowed the Jazz to outscore them 35-21.

Golden State managed to right the ship in the third, despite an excellent performance from Gordon Hayward, and a pair of quarter-ending three-point shots from Curry and Andre Iguodala led the Warriors to the fourth quarter with a 14-point lead.

Utah cooled off, with Golden State going on a 17-4 run to start the final quarter of the season for the Jazz. And as the quarter winded down, Hayward was treated to chants of “Gor-don Hay-ward” as he left the game, and rightfully so. Despite the sweep, the Jazz put up a fight and had a great season.

Next up, the Western Conference Finals. Here are the schedule scenarios, depending on the HOU/SAS series results: