It took Golden State's Baron Davis a quarter to get going, but he showed Monday night it won't be so easy for Williams in the second round.

But Williams still had perhaps his finest game as a pro, scoring 31 points and handing out eight assists in the 116-112 Jazz win at EnergySolutions Arena.

"Williams was incredible," said Warriors coach Don Nelson. "He was so good. What didn't he do? He did it all. He guarded, he assisted, he was tough. He led. He did it all. That's why I like watching him so much."

Williams made the play of the game, too, a driving three-point play with 1:14 left that gave the Jazz a 112-110 lead. He did that with five fouls, having picked up his fifth with six minutes left.

His former Illinois teammate, Dee Brown, held things together while Williams was on the bench, and made two driving baskets during that stretch. Williams came back with 3:43 remaining, and hit a huge 18-footer a few seconds later that gave the Jazz a one-point lead.

Williams "played unbelievable basketball," Brown said. "But he's been doing that all year. He just took over. I've really enjoyed watching him this year, and learning from him."

Arguably, the Warriors had the athletic edge over the Jazz at every position except Williams' point guard position.

Coach Jerry Sloan said the second-year guard managed to have his phenomenal night within the framework of Utah's offense, however.

"Never did I feel like it was a personal dual between him and Baron Davis," Sloan said. "He got us into the sets we wanted to be in."

Williams played more than 41 minutes, partially because backcourt mate Derek Fisher missed the game due to a personal issue that was not disclosed.

"We all had to pick it up, not just me," Williams said.

He made 11 of 21 shots, including 4-for-7 shooting from three-point range.

Davis nearly matched Williams shot-for-shot. After not scoring in the first quarter, Davis finished with 24 points and proved to be a tough guard for Williams. Davis also had seven assists, but was just 1-for-4 from three-point range.

"It is going to be something, watching those two go at it" the rest of the series, Nelson said.

From the onset, it was apparent that Williams was going to carry the load offensively. He scored eight points and racked up five assists in the first quarter alone.

"Deron was something else tonight," Brown said. "But then, that's what we've come to expect."

drew@sltrib.com

Point guard leads way

Minutes: 41.3

Points: 16.3

Rebounds: 5.0

Assists: 8.4

Steals: 1.14

Monday

Minutes: 41:09

Points: 31

Rebounds: 5

Assists: 8

Steals: 2