Warriors try to even West semis with Jazz

Game 5 of this best-of-seven series is scheduled for Tuesday at EnergySolutions Arena.

In Game 3, Baron Davis scored 32 points and electrified the crowd with a demonstrative dunk late in the fourth quarter, as the eighth-seeded Warriors dominated on the perimeter and earned a 125-105 victory over No. 4 Utah on Friday at ORACLE Arena.

Davis also dished out nine assists and had a playoff career-best six steals for Golden State, which is a perfect 4-0 at home in this year’s playoffs. Jason Richardson had 25 points for Golden State, which went 15-of-32 from beyond the arc.

Carlos Boozer finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who fell behind by 21 points at halftime and trailed by 30 in the third quarter. Utah committed 25 turnovers, leading to 29 Golden State points.

Golden State’s victory in Game 4 was its first semifinals win since May 8, 1991. The Warriors defeated the Lakers, 125-124, on the road in Game 2 of the West semis.

The Warriors have lost two of their last three Game 4s in the postseason, while Utah has dropped three of its last four Game 4s.

This is the third time that these clubs have met in the postseason. Golden State knocked off the Jazz in five games, 3-2, during the first round of the 1987 playoffs and in three, 3-0, in the opening round of the 1989 postseason.

Utah defeated the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets in seven games in the first round. The Jazz won Game 7, 103-99, at the Toyota Center to advance to the semis for the first time since 2000.

The Jazz ended a three-year playoff drought by qualifying for this year’s postseason.

Utah’s last series win in the semis was in 1998, when it knocked out the San Antonio Spurs in five, 4-1. The Jazz went on to sweep the Lakers, 4-0, in the West Finals, but fell in six, 4-2, to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the championship round.

The Warriors shocked the world with their stunning 4-2 series victory over the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. Golden State became just the third eighth-seeded team to defeat a one seed in the first round of the playoffs. Denver eliminated the Seattle SuperSonics, 3-2, in the first round of the 1994 playoffs, while the Knicks knocked out the Miami Heat in five, 3-2, during the opening round of the 1999 postseason. The Warriors became the first eight seed to knock out a one seed in a best-of-seven series.

Golden State won its first playoff series since 1991 when it eliminated the San Antonio Spurs, 3-1, in the opening round of the postseason. The Warriors, who had the longest playoff drought in the NBA, returned to the postseason for the first time since 1994 when they were led by Chris Mullin, Latrell Sprewell and Chris Webber.

The last time the Warriors won a Western Conference semifinals series was in 1976, when they defeated Detroit in six games. They would lose in seven to Phoenix in the conference finals.

Golden State has lost four straight semifinals series. The Warriors were defeated by the Lakers in 1977, 1987 and 1991. They also lost to the Suns in 1989.