Hope is alive in Cleveland after the Cavaliers won what LeBron James called a “do or die” Game 3 on Wednesday night, blowing out the Golden State Warriors 120-90. Kyrie Irving led the way, scoring 30 points and dishing out 8 assists. 16 of his points came in the first quarter. LeBron put up a game-high 32 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out 6 assists.
J.R. Smith had his best game of the NBA Finals, knocking down 5-of-10 three-pointers to finish the night with 20 points.
The Cavs were without Kevin Love, who was sidelined due to concussion protocol, but Richard Jefferson stepped up in his absence, starting at small forward and scoring 9 points and hauling in 8 rebounds.
Cavs big man Tristan Thompson was a force on the glass, posting a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end.
Golden State’s stars, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were kept at bay, as Curry scored 19 points, but only scored two in the first half. Thompson scored 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting. The Cavs also shut down Draymond Green, who scored 28 points in Game 2, and was held to six points in Game 3.
It was an all-around dominant performance from the Cavs, who showed signs of life for the first time in the series and now the team has a great opportunity to tie the series on Friday night in Cleveland.
We’ll see if Love is able to play on Friday and how Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue will continue to use Jefferson in a significant role, as that was one of many buttons pushed by the rookie head coach that was successful in Game 3.
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