After dropping the first two games of the series, the Utah Jazz return home for Game 3 against the Golden State Warriors in a must win scenario. No team has ever come back to win a series when trailing 3-0, so it's essentially do-or-die time for the Jazz. Will Utah be able to get back into the series, or will Golden State continue their dominance in the postseason? Here's our preview and prediction for tonight's game.
Game Info:
When: 8:30 PM EST
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
TV: ABC
Spread: Warriors (-6.5)
O/U: 207.5
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Key To The Game: Can Utah contend for four quarters?
In Game 1, the Warriors built a double-digit lead in the first quarter before Utah caught up, then blew them out in the third quarter. In Game 2, Golden State outscored Utah 33-15 in the first quarter and cruised the rest of the way. The Jazz played fine after that opening quarter, outscoring the Warriors by seven in the final three quarters, but the deficit was simply too much for them to overcome.
That's the big key for them in Game 3 - don't fall behind early, and don't let Golden State go on those spurts that change a game in a matter of minutes. That last part may be hard to do, but the Jazz have to at least answer Warrior runs with runs of their own. The longer the Jazz are in the game, and more the crowd is active and energized, and the more game pressure gets put on Golden State. That's the only way Utah wins this game.
Prediction: Warriors win 105-99
Utah showed in Game 2 that, after that terrible start, they are capable of at least hanging with the Warriors. They will also get a boost playing at home in front of their home crowd, but as Golden State has shown time and time again, they know how to switch into a higher gear when they need to late in the game. I expect them to do the same in Game 3 and pull away in the fourth quarter.