Curry leads Warriors rout of Jazz to complete sweep
RIYADH: Eric Liquigan and Joe Vallado delivered victory in only their second attempt as partners in team events and in the process led a 1-2 Filipino finish in the 10th annual Pakistan Day Open Golf Tournament 2017 at Dirab Golf & Country Club on Saturday.
The Warriors advanced to a Western Conference finals showdown against either Houston or San Antonio after overcoming a fleeting Utah rally to take the series 4-0 at Salt Lake City’s Vivint Smart Home Arena.
It was a second consecutive 4-0 series victory for the Warriors, who also notched a sweep against Portland in the opening round of the playoffs.
“We gotta good thing going, we’re playing well,” Curry said afterward.
“Tonight we had an opportunity to seal the deal and thankfully we came out on top,” added Curry, praising the Warriors allround offensive display.
“That’s our approach to every game. We don’t know who’s going to have a hot night. We want to keep that going,” he said.
The Warriors laid the foundation for the win with a devastating first quarter performance which saw them pour on 39 points to open up a double-digit lead against a shellshocked Utah.
“Guys really came out focused,” said Warriors forward Draymond Green, who had a triple-double. “We knew what the game plan was and executed that game plan. I think the most important thing, though, is we imposed our will on the game. We had the game at our pace.”
The Jazz battled back to reduce the deficit to eight points at halftime at 60-52.
Utah remained in touching distance throughout the third period but the Warriors always looked capable of finding an extra gear when it mattered.
The decisive period came at the end of the third period when both Curry and Andre Iguodala both hit three-pointers in quick succession to help the Dubs pull away to 93-79 heading into the fourth quarter.
That burst of scoring was a foretaste of
Liquigan and Vallado emerged the champion team after edging out Dennis Catapang and Verlito Quindoza in countback that went to the last six holes.
A third team, Tariq Javed and Abdulaziz Al-Helaisi, actually tied the Filipinos on net score of 64 at the end of the two-ball Texas Scramble format competition that had been delayed for a variety of reasons as Pakistan Day was celebrated on March 23.
When the back nine scores were compared to break the tie, the two Filipino sides were still tied on 35 with Javed, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, and Saudi Al-Helasi, on 39 to take the third position.
In the last six holes of the tiebreaker Liquigan and Vallado had 23 to the 25 of Catapang and Quindoza who settled with what was to follow in the fourth quarter, with the Warriors pulling further clear to wrap up victory by a 26-point margin.
Curry was one of five Warriors players to hit double figures, with Klay Thompson adding 21 points and Kevin Durant 18. Green added 17 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for a triple-double.
For Utah, Gordon Hayward top-scored with 25 points while Shelvin Mack had 18 and Dante Exum 15.
Curry, meanwhile, played down the suggestion that the Warriors may suffer deeper into the playoffs after romping through the first two rounds without dropping a game.
“Every team that we’ve played had a lot of pride,” Curry said. “We haven’t lost but within these games we’ve really had to check ourselves.
“You can learn lessons through winning Liquigan miss.
They complemented each other well, Liquigan taking care of the long game and Vallado clicking on and around the greens. To gain more distance Liquigan used driver on the fairways of par-5 holes.
The skill prizes for the men’s and ladies’ longest drive went to Russel Hargove and Jeo-Un Kim and closest to the pin to Pascal Cudy.
Sponsor representatives that attended the awards ceremony were Shahzad A. Shami, senior executive vice president and that’s what we’ve done.”
Jazz star Hayward, who may have played his last game for the team as he prepares for free agency, said Utah had been defeated by a “historically great team.”
“They make you pay for your mistakes,” Hayward told reporters. “You have to be almost perfect every possession, or else they turn it into a 9-0 run or 10-0 run. and general manager ofNational Bank of Pakistan, and Amir Shahzad, FCA financial analyst/chief risk officer of Orix Leasing Company. Red Onion, a Pakistani restaurant, catered the sumptuous lunch for the participants.
The tournament sponsors are National Bank of Pakistan, Saudi Orix Leasing Company, American Express, Adma Shamran Trading Co., Usman Ali Bhutta and Dirab Golf & Country Club. Zaffarullah Khan, Khalid Raja, Ahmed Raja and Tariq Javed are the individual sponsors.
SALT LAKE CITY: Stephen Curry scored 30 points as the Golden State Warriors wrapped up a series sweep with a 121-95 rout of the Utah Jazz on Monday.