Utah Jazz edge a thriller against the Golden State Warriors: NBA Recap
On Sunday night, the Utah Jazz narrowly won a thrilling encounter with the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena. In a game that went right down to the wire, Utah were able to come on top with an 88 – 87 score line, one that
broke Warriors’ hearts.
Monta Ellis was on fire throughout the game for the Warriors as he piled on the points, ending up with game high 32 along with 6 assists. Golden State were missing star point guard Stephen Curry but others stepped up to help Ellis
in his absence, Brandon Rush impressing with a useful 14 points off the bench. Forward David Lee was also notable with a double-double at 13 points and 15 rebounds.
Gordon Hayward scored 18 points for the Jazz while Al Jefferson had 15 points and 8 rebounds. Derrick Favors made a big contribution of the bench scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 boards for a double-double game.
The Jazz got off on the front foot, opening the game with an 18 – 6 run to take an early advantage. The Warriors weren’t able to recover after the setback and finished the first quarter trailing at 27 – 19.
The roles though were reversed in the second period as Golden State fought back. They turned up their defensive intensity and were able to put together some good plays on offence. One highlight was a 7 – 0 run that levelled the
scores at 40 – 40. When the sides headed into the locker rooms; Golden State were ahead by 46 – 45.
The Jazz were stronger coming out of the break as they started the second half with an 8 – 2 run to regain the lead. When Utah started to pull away, Golden State responded with a 7 – 0 burst to restore parity. Some big plays towards
the end ensured that the Warriors were ahead heading into the final period at 66 – 63.
A hectic fourth quarter saw both the momentum and the lead shift back and forth between two teams determined to get to the win. With the sides neck and neck right till the end, the Warriors got the last possession, trailing 88
– 87. Ellis, who had been there hero so far in the game, failed to make a buzzer beater that would have given his side the victory and Utah rejoiced in an 88 – 87 win.
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