SALT LAKE CITY -- The Warriors set a preseason goal of winning an NBA championship, and they’ve now won half the required postseason games to accomplish that.
With a wire-to-wire 121-95 victory over the Jazz Monday night in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Warriors swept the Jazz and advanced to the conference finals for the third consecutive season.
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Five Warriors scored in double figures, with Stephen Curry pouring in a game-high 30 points to lead the way. Klay Thompson put in 21 points, Kevin Durant 18, Draymond Green 17 and JaVale McGee added 12 off the bench.
Green added 11 assists and 10 rebounds to his points total to post his third career playoff triple-double, all while simultaneously engaging in spirited dialogue with Jazz fans heckling him from the seats at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
The Warriors closed out Utah with a 28-16 advantage in the fourth quarter, holding the Jazz to 26.1-percent shooting over the final 12 minutes. They held Utah to 37.1 percent from the field for the game.
Forward Gordon Hayward led Utah scorers with 25 points.
Golden State Warriors
STANDOUT PERFORMER:
The Warriors thought it was particularly important to start fast in a closeout game, and Curry made sure they did, with 14 first-quarter points.
Curry’s line: 30 points (9-of-15 shooting from the field, 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, 8-of-8 from the line), seven assists, five rebounds and one block. He played 39 minutes and finished plus-33.
TURNING POINT:
The Warriors led all the way, taking leads of 12-3, 24-7 and 39-15 in the opening quarter.
Though the Jazz rallied several times, getting as close as five in the third quarter (68-63) before the Warriors put them away for good with a 16-4 run spanning the end of the third and the opening minutes of the fourth for a 100-83 lead with 6:40 remaining.
INJURY UPDATE:
Warriors: F Kevon Looney (L hip strain) was listed as out.
Jazz: G George Hill (L big toe sprain) was listed as questionable and downgraded to out prior to tipoff. G Alec Burks (L knee recovery) was listed as out.
WHAT’S NEXT:
The Warriors face the winner of the Houston-San Antonio series, which is tied at 2-2 through four games, in the Western Conference Finals. Game 1 is scheduled for May 16, with a possible (but unlikely) move up to May 14.