Warriors Rally, Take 3-0 Finals Lead Over Cavaliers

The Golden State Warriors closed off Game Three of the NBA Finals on an 11-0 run to remain undefeated in the playoffs and secure a 118-113 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 56 points, and Curry tied the lead for rebounds with 13. Kevin Durant led the way for the Warriors with 31 points and eight rebounds. Durant also hit a three-pointer with 45.3 seconds remaining to take a 114-113 lead and put the game away for good, as Golden State is just one win away from a sweep in both the Finals and the entire postseason.

The Cavaliers could not close out the game despite tremendous efforts from both Lebron James and Kyrie Irving. Irving finished with 38 points on 16-29 shooting, while James flirted with a triple-double, dropping 39 points to go with 11 assists and nine rebounds. The only other Cavs player who scored in double figures was J.R. Smith with 16, shooting 5-10 from behind the arc.

Tristan Thompson did not score in 23 minutes of action, and Kevin Love scored just nine points on a poor 1-9 from the field. Cleveland had a plus/minus ratio of +7 with James on the court, but -12 with him off it.

Cleveland was clinging to a six-point lead with just three minutes left, but Durant used a 14-point scoring outburst in the game’s final quarter to put the game – and his haters – to rest as he proved that the move to Golden State from Oklahoma City is certainly paying dividends.

The Warriors jumped out in front early, and maintained a six-point lead going into halftime. The Cavaliers then took storm during the third quarter, outscoring the Warriors 33-22 in order to take a 94-89 lead after three quarters. Draymond Green also picked up a technical foul during the quarter, and he remained in foul trouble all game, scoring just eight points compared to five fouls.

No moments were greater than the final run by Golden State in the final minutes of play, A Smith 3 put Cleveland up six wth 3:09 remaining. But then, Curry hit a layup and Durant a mid-range jumper before connecting on the trey at the top of the key. Free throws closed out the road victory.

Here’s Durant hitting the go-ahead basket:

The Warriors will look to sweep Cleveland and finish the postseason a perfect 16-0 as they attempt to win their second title in three years when the two teams meet again at Quicken Loans Arena on Friday at 9 p.m. EST.

Article by Matthew Lamb