Utah have been knocked out of the NBA playoffs by a ruthless Golden State despite a high-flying Dante Exum playing his best game of the post-season and Joe Ingles solid in what could be his final game for the Jazz.
The Warriors crushed the Jazz 121-95 in Salt Lake City on Monday to sweep the series 4-0 and book a place in the Western Conference finals.
Golden State, undefeated in the playoffs and beating teams by an average of 15 points, are on a mission to avenge last year's championship series loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"We got blitzed," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said.
Facing elimination, a desperate Jazz in front of their home crowd were expected to challenge the Warriors early, but the All-Star laden squad headed by Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson jumped on them.
At the end of the first quarter the Warriors led 39-17.
Exum, the 21-year-old from Melbourne, has played scant minutes in the playoffs but when he appeared in the second quarter he exploded for nine points and led the Jazz on a 14-0 run.
"The young fella Dante Exum came in and had a heck of a good game for those guys," Warriors interim coach Mike Brown said.
"He got them back into it with the energy he brought and toughness.
"He wasn't afraid of the moment."
Exum finished with 15 points from 31 minutes on the court.
It has been a roller-coaster year for Exum who sat out last season after tearing the ACL in his left knee while playing for the Australian team in Europe.
Exum started seven of the Jazz's last eight regular-season games but then spent most of the first round series against the Los Angeles Clippers on the bench.
"Any time players have the individual and personal challenges of playing and not playing, being injured, coming back, it is always gratifying as a coach when you see those guys raise their level," Snyder said.
"That's what you saw Dante do tonight."
Adelaide forward Ingles has become a starter and key piece for the Jazz and against the Warriors on Monday filled up his stat sheet with seven points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Ingles becomes a restricted free agent in the off-season and the Jazz may struggle to pay him the money rival teams will offer.
The Jazz are keen to retain All-Star forward Gordon Hayward who is also at the end of his contract and expected to command a big chunk of the team's salary cap with a five-year, $US180 million contract.
Ingles earned a relatively small $US2.87 million this season, but his improved three-point shooting and playmaking skills could put him in line for a contract similar to the four-year $US38.4 million deal Boomer teammate Matthew Dellavedova signed last year with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Warriors were led by Curry's 30 points and Draymond Green's 17 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Warriors will play the winner of the other Western Conference semi-final series between Patty Mills' San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets.
The series stands at 2-2 with game five in San Antonio on Tuesday.
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