Late Run Not Enough, Warriors Lose To Jazz
SALT LAKE CITY (CBS / AP) -- Al Jefferson scored 30 points and Devin Harris added a season-high 28 to lead the Utah Jazz over the Golden State Warriors, 104-98 Friday night to snap a two-game home losing streak.
Gordon Hayward's late jumper and steal sealed the win for the Jazz (29-27), who are ninth in the Western Conference but only three games out of the No. 5 spot.
David Lee led the Warriors with 26 points while Klay Thompson added 23 on 9-of-16 shooting.
Harris missed Wednesday's 107-105 loss to Phoenix because of a sprained left ankle. He started strong with 12 first-quarter points and scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter.
The Warriors committed 17 turnovers.
Utah led 96-86 with 5:15 remaining before the Warriors went on a 7-0 run, with Lee hitting a jumper and Thompson following with a pair, including a 3-pointer to pull Golden State within 96-93 with 2:58 left.
Jefferson's 11-footer stopped the run, then Paul Millsap followed with a fast-break layup and Hayward hit a long jumper.
Thompson hit another 3, then a long jumper to pull the Warriors within 102-98, but Hayward sank a pair of late free throws for the final margin.
Friday's win actually hurt the Jazz in their bid to collect on a pair of potential lottery picks in June. They own Golden State's first-round pick unless the Warriors finish as one of the seven-worst teams.
Golden State (21-33) entered the game with the ninth-worst record.
The Jazz will lose their own first-round pick to Minnesota if they make the playoffs.
Utah won the game with a 38-30 advantage on points in the paint and 25-14 edge on the fast break.
The Jazz trailed by as many as 13 points in the second quarter, but went on a 25-10 run to take a 55-53 lead. A tip-in by Lee at the buzzer sent the teams into the break tied at 55.
The Jazz started the second quarter cold, going scoreless during a 4-minute span, while Golden State hit four 3-pointers to fuel a 14-2 run.
A 6-0 Utah run, fueled by Jefferson's tip-in and Hayward's three-point play, got the Jazz within seven.
Utah pulled even with 43 seconds left in the half on back-to-back three-point plays by Jamaal Tinsley and Jefferson, and took the lead on a pair of free throws by Hayward, only to see Lee tip in Dorell Wright's airball at the buzzer.
Harris' return proved critical.
He had 12 points in the first quarter alone, hitting a 3-pointer and sinking 7 of 8 free throws.
The Warriors kept pace early behind rookie guard Charles Jenkins, who had eight points in the first quarter on 4-of-6 shooting, and Lee, who started 4 of 5.
Friday was the fourth meeting between the teams, with the Jazz having won two of the previous three, including a 99-92 overtime victory March 17 and an 88-87 win Jan. 7.
Utah entered the game having won nine of the last 11 games against the Warriors in Salt Lake City.
Both teams were missing key players, with the Jazz still without Josh Howard and Raja Bell and Golden State minus Andrew Bogut and Stephen Curry.
Millsap started for Utah despite a stomach ailment that kept him in the bathroom all morning. He finished with 12 points in 39 minutes.
Notes: Jazz swingman C.J. Miles left with 4:35 remaining in the first quarter because of nausea. ...Lee, who is averaging 20.1 points, had 15 in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting. ... Jefferson sat out the final 4 ½ minutes of the third quarter with a strained abdomen but returned after icing the injury.
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