updated 1:01 a.m. ET May 12, 2007

OAKLAND, Calif. - Derek Fisher and Deron Williams delivered the majority of clutch plays down the stretch during Utah’s overtime victory in Game 2.

They weren’t even on the court for much of the first half in Game 3 — forced to watch from the bench in foul trouble as the Jazz fell way behind.

And Utah never could recover even once both returned.

By then, the Warriors were already well on their way to a 125-105 victory Friday night to get on the board in the Western Conference semifinals.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan certainly will demand more from his top playmakers in Game 4 on Sunday night, otherwise Utah could be headed home with the series tied at 2 after leading 2-0.

“We need to play smarter and more efficient,” Fisher said. “We turned the ball over way too much. Sometimes when you turn the ball over at home, at times you can get away with it. When you turn the ball over 20-plus times on the road, it makes life really hard.”

Fisher finished with nine points on 1-of-6 shooting, no assists and didn’t make his first field goal until 11:12 remaining, then fouled out late. He made all seven of his free throws.

Williams had 14 points, six assists and four rebounds while committing seven turnovers — uncharacteristic sloppiness for the typically reliable point guard. Williams, Utah’s second-leading scorer during the playoffs at 18.1 points per game, showed his frustration when he was whistled for a technical foul for arguing in the final minute of the third.

With Fisher and Williams on the sidelines, that left Andrei Kirilenko to run the offense — not the ideal choice for the Jazz even though it worked in Game 2 before Fisher came back and after Dee Brown left with a neck injury in the second quarter.

“We were executing very well and then Deron Williams and Derek Fisher went out,” Sloan said. “We had to play Andrei at point guard and Andrei is not a point guard, despite what some people think.”

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On the defensive end, the Jazz seemed a step behind all night. They had a hard time getting a hand in the face of Golden State’s dangerous perimeter shooters and got beat down the floor by Baron Davis and company repeatedly as the Warriors dictated the pace of the game. Golden State made 11 3-pointers in the first half, matching an NBA playoff record, and 15 total.

It was Williams who hit the 12-foot jumper in the waning seconds of regulation in Game 2 that sent Utah into overtime in its 127-117 victory Wednesday. And Fisher’s dramatic entrance in the third quarter that night after returning from the East Coast and dealing with his daughter’s illness provided a huge emotional boost for his teammates.

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This time, Utah was forced to turn to Kirilenko to get things going offensively.

“It is difficult,” he said. “I lost the tempo of the game a little bit.”

The Jazz lacked energy and passion Friday, just the way the Dallas Mavericks did during the first-round games in Oakland.

So far during these playoffs, opposing teams have done little right at raucous Oracle Arena — where the eighth-seeded Warriors are 4-0 in the postseason and 14-1 since March 5.

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Fisher and Williams combined for five shots and four points in the first two quarters, a big reason why the Jazz trailed 70-49 at halftime despite a 24-17 rebounding advantage. Williams played all of nine minutes in the first half and Fisher only five. Both were out for most of Golden State’s decisive 30-13 run that put the Jazz in a 20-point hole.

Williams, Utah’s top draft pick in 2005 at third overall, had 17 points, 14 assists, three rebounds and a steal in 37 minutes in Game 2. The Jazz will be counting on him to bounce back with another big performance in Game 4.

“We’ve got to settle down, keep our composure and keep hold of the ball,” Williams said. “We’ve got to let this one go and put it in the back of our mind.”

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