Game 2 of the NBA finals matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers was played on Sunday night. After dominating the Cavaliers in Game 1 of this series, Golden State was looking to take a comanding 2-0 series lead with a victory on Sunday. Cleveland, on the other hand, wanted to put forth a better performance than they did in Game 1, and possibly tie the series at 1-1. It was a fully packed Oracle Arena once again, as these two powerhouse teams clashed in front of a hyped and frenetic crowd of more than 19,000 fans.
Big third quarter for the Warriors
Both teams were able to score in the first 12 minutes of the game. Midway through the first period, Golden State had a 19-16 lead and after the first quarter the Warriors were up 40-34. The second quarter back-and-forth as the teams traded baskets and almost scored at will. At halftime the score was 67-64 for the home team. It was in the third quarter that Golden State pulled away in this one. The Warriors outscored Cleveland 35-24 in the third period, and held a 102-88 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Golden State closed out the game routinely in the fourth quarter and celebrated a convincing 132-113 win.
They outrebounded Cleveland 53-41 in this one and shot 18-for-43 from behind the arc.
The Cavaliers connected on just 8 of their 29 three-point attempts. The Warriors finished the game with 34 team assists.
Durant and Curry with big performances
Golden State had six different players in double-digit scoring in Game 2. Kevin Durant led the way with 33 points and also added 13 rebounds and six assists. Stephen Curry also had a big game as he finished with 32 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.
Klay Thompson scored 22 points, while Shaun Livingston and Ian Clark each had 10 points off the bench.
For the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was LeBron James once again who led them in scoring. James finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists while shooting 12-for-18 from the field. Kevin Love contributed with 27 points and seven rebounds, while Kyrie Irving added 19 points and seven assists.
They were the only three players to score in double-digits for the Cavs on Sunday night.
So far, everything is going the Warriors' way and they look virtually unbeatable this postseason. They hold a comanding 2-0 lead in the Finals with Game 3 scheduled for Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. It will be a "must win" situation for the Cavaliers if they want to stay alive in this series. Stay tuned.
