It was a big Wednesday night in downtown Cleveland as the Cavaliers hosted the Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. The game was played at the fully-packed Quicken Loans Arena, with more than 20,000 fans in the stands. Golden State came into Wednesday's game with a 2-0 series lead and a perfect 14-0 record so far in the postseason.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, wanted to bounce back and play better at home after a disappointing first two games on the road. It was a must-win situation for the Cavs as they didn't want to find themselves down 3-0 in the Finals against this mighty Warriors team.
Back-and-forth game
Both teams came ready to play in this one, as they were able to score at will in the first quarter. Midway through the period, the score was tied at 21 and after the first 12 minutes of action, Golden State held a 39-32 lead. Teams traded baskets in the second quarter, and at the halftime, the score was 67-61 for the away team. Cleveland opened up the second half with a big third quarter, as they outscored the Warriors 33-22 in the period. The Cavaliers shot 50 percent in the third quarter and held the Warriors to 37 percent shooting in the period.
Heading into the final 12 minutes of the game, the home team had a 94-89 lead. The biggest lead of the game for Cleveland was seven points early in the fourth quarter (100-93), but they couldn't seal the deal in this one.
After trailing 113-107 late in the period, Golden State closed out the game on an 11-0 run and ended up winning the game 118-113.
The Warriors connected on 16 of their 33 three-point attempts and held Cleveland to just 27.3 percent shooting from behind the arc. Steve Kerr's team played great team basketball, as they finished the game with 29 assists and 44 rebounds.
Durant with 31 points
Kevin Durant was the leading scorer for the Warriors in Game 3 victory. He finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and four assists while shooting 10-for-18 from the field. Klay Thompson was huge with 30 points and six rebounds, including six made three-pointers. Stephen Curry contributed with 26 points and 13 assists.
For the Cavaliers, it was LeBron James who carried the load once again. James was one assist shy of a triple-double, as he finished with 39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Kyrie Irving added 38 points and six rebounds, while J.R. Smith helped with 16 points for Cleveland.
Golden State now holds a commanding 3-0 series lead with Game 4 to be played on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena. No team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in the NBA.
