2018 NBA Finals: Game 3 recap, highlights and rapid reaction (2024)

In a game where Stephen Curry scored a grand total of 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting from the field and 1-for-10 shooting from 3-point range, the Golden State Warriors flexed their muscles as arguably the greatest team of all time in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals.

Fueled by a 43-point, 13-rebound, seven-assist explosion from Kevin Durant, the Warriors took a commanding 3-0 lead on the road against the Cleveland CavaliersWednesday night, as the 2017 Finals MVP shot 15-for-23 from the field, 6-for-9 from downtown and 7-for-7 from the foul line.

The next leading scorer on the Dubs was Curry, who finished with 11 points, six assists and five rebounds but struggled to put the ball in the hole until late in the fourth quarter, when his one wide open triple managed to create enough separation for Durant to finish the job with a nearly identical dagger to last year’s Game 3 of the Finals.

With the Warriors leading by three points, Durant cleared out near half court, called for a screen and pulled up from 33 feet before it got there, burying the triple and Cleveland’s chances of making this a series with 49.8 seconds left. Golden State ultimately won 110-102 to take a 3-0 series lead.

Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and JaVale McGee added 10 points apiece for the Dubs, while Jordan Bell chipped in 10 points and six boards in just 12 minutes off the bench. Andre Iguodala only had eight points off the bench, but his defense, passing and basketball IQ ultimately proved to be the difference when Golden State’s small-ball lineups took over.

Despite the 10th Finals triple-double of his career, LeBron James (33 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) wasn’t quite magnificent enough to carry Cleveland back into the series. He got help from Kevin Love (20 points, 13 rebounds), J.R. Smith (13 points) and Rodney Hood (15 points off the bench), but KD’s big night ultimately proved to be too much.

To start the game, Cleveland was clearly fired up and looked to capitalize on the energy pulsing through Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs stormed out to a 16-4 lead, racked up two early fouls on Curry and got early contributions from a more confident J.R. Smith and an everywhere-at-once version of Kevin Love not seen since his Minnesota Timberwolves days.

LeBron even ran back his feat from last year’s Finals, throwing the ball to himself off the backboard for a monster two-handed slam that ignited the home crowd:

However, despite seven first quarter points from Smith and seven points and six boards from Love, the Warriors calmed down after a turnover-heavy start, mostly due to the welcome presence of Andre Iguodala.

As soon as Iggy entered the game for JaVale McGee, the dynamic of the matchup changed. Aside from a gorgeous behind-the-back feed to Klay Thompson for a corner 3, the Warriors’ sorely missed wing helped galvanize the defending champs as they closed the first quarter on a 16-7 run to pull within one point.

Kevin Durant did the heavy lifting for Golden State early in the game, piling on 13 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting while pulling down all seven of his team’s rebounds in the opening period.

The second quarter featured a nearly identical storyline: The Cavs steamrolled out to an early lead and foul calls started to stack up on the Warriors, but the Dubs managed to put together a late run fueled by Durant to keep it close.

As the Cavaliers started the second quarter on an 11-4 run, they eventually built their largest lead of the night at 13 points. Love continued to play with a ton of energy, knocking down the 3 that gave Cleveland its 50-37 advantage.

However, even with Green and Curry picking up their third fouls with a few minutes left in the half, KD put his team on his back and refused to let the Cavs pull away.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1004546450494193669

With 24 points, eight rebounds and 7-of-10 shooting in the first half, Durant’s production more than matched the rest of his teammates, who finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and 11-of-31 shooting in the first two quarters.

KD’s 3 right before the half pulled Golden State within six, capping off a 10-4 run and all but cancelling out the Splash Brothers’ rough start with the patented Kevin Durant cheat code. The Dubs also managed to stay in the game thanks to a 13-0 advantage in free throw attempts.

LeBron entered the break with 14 points, nine assists and four rebounds, while Love led all Cavs with 15 points and 10 boards. Smith chipped in 10, while Rodney Hood added six off the bench to bolster Cleveland’s 58-52 halftime lead.

Unfortunately, the dreaded third quarter avalanche landed for the first time in the championship series for the Warriors, with the defending champs bulldozing their way to a five-point lead after opening up the second half with a 17-6 run in just over four minutes of game time.

JaVale McGee was instrumental during the run, putting up eight points in the first three minutes of action. The Cavs’ defense struggled to keep up when their shots stopped falling, and the Dubs capitalized with easy buckets in transition.

However, as they’ve done all series long, the Cavs battled back just when it seemed like they were about to be buried. Responding with an 8-3 run and keeping it relatively close the rest of the period, Cleveland was only a -8 in the third when all was said and done, trailing by a mere two points entering the final frame.

While Durant continued his flamethrower act with 34 points through three quarters, the Cavs rode LeBron James, bench production from Hood and Curry heading back to the locker room to get checked out in order to stay within reach.

In the fourth quarter, the game briefly turned into a one-on-one battle between Durant and Hood, with the maligned Cavs wing putting in one of the most important performances of his career as the two teams battled back and forth for the lead.

With Curry struggling to the tune of four points on 1-for-11 shooting through three quarters (including 0-for-7 from downtown), it was on KD to carry the Warriors’ offense in the final frame.

He didn’t disappoint, working one-on-one isos for tough buckets and probing the Cavs’ defense time and time again to set his teammates up for easy looks.

With the Dubs trailing by 1, however, it was a mini-5-0 Curry run that restored order for the Dubs. A tough layup with Hood draped all over him — followed by a wide open 3 in transition after a Golden State steal created chaos — gave the defending champs a four-point lead with 2:38 remaining.

LeBron cut it to one on a broken play fueled by a few second chance opportunities, but a healthy-looking Iguodala gave the Warriors some extra breathing room, throwing down a monster dunk on Tristan Thompson‘s head.

After a Cavs miss, Durant trotted down the court and proceeded to bury a deep dagger from almost the same exact spot he did in last year’s Finals when he helped Golden State build a 3-0 series lead.

That backbreaking triple gave the Dubs a six-point lead with 49.8 seconds left and effectively ended Game 3.

LeBron would get an easy layup to cut it to four, but the Cavs opted not to foul and Green broke loose for a dunk to push the lead back to six with 25 seconds left. From there, the final result was just a formality.

Rapid reactions:

• After two games of clamoring for Rodney Hood to enter the rotation, Cavs fans got what they wanted in Game 3. He ultimately wasn’t the difference in victory or defeat, but Hood certainly helped and was far more useful than a struggling Jordan Clarkson or the one-dimensional Kyle Korver.
• Jordan Bell provided good minutes off the bench in the first half for the Warriors, piling on seven points and four rebounds in his first six minutes off the bench. This rookie is going to be very good in the near future, and you can be guaranteed these sparse minutes in the championship round are only going to benefit him moving forward.
• The Warriors won a Finals game in Cleveland where Curry shot 3-for-16, LeBron dropped a triple-double and Rodney Hood was an X-factor. This team is unreal, and it starts with Kevin Durant. Not too shabby for a “role player,” eh?
• Iguodala was terrific in his Finals debut and looked pretty healthy. From his behind-the-back feed to Thompson for the corner 3 to his monster smash over Tristan Thompson to his deflections and steals, it was clear the impact he has on this team — especially when it comes to having another active body to throw at LeBron to wear him down.
• Through three games in this series, Shaun Livingston has totaled 28 points 13-of-14 shooting. The man is the walking definition of consistent and efficient bench production.
• Seriously, the Warriors won in a game where the Splash Brothers combined for 21 points on 7-of-27 shooting!!
• You can tell the physical toll is starting to weigh on LeBron, and not just because of his 1-for-6 shooting from downtown.
• Consider Kevin Durant’s claim for Finals MVP officially staked.

Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)

Game 4 of the Finals will take place in Cleveland on Friday night as the Cavs look to stave off elimination.