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Game 3 Preview
The NBA Finals return to the Bay Area at Oracle Arena Wednesday at 8 p.m. The Warriors took care of the two-game road trip, splitting the two games to return home as the series is tied 1-1.
Golden State has a 9-3 overall record at Oracle Arena the past four years. The Warriors will be without 2 key players, Kevin Durant (calf, out) and Kevon Looney (out, costal cartilage fracture). Klay Thompson (questionable, hamstring), is a game-time decision as he hurt his hamstring early in the fourth quarter of Game 2 in Toronto.
The Raptors are hoping to have success from their star Kawhi Leonard and Fred VanVleet, who led their team in scoring with 34 and 17 points. Leonard was perfect from the free throw line, going 16-16, and added 14 rebounds.
Game 2 Recap
Last time these two teams took the court, the Warriors used a huge 18-0 run to take control of the game in the second half, in which they were once down by 12 in the 1st half. Andre Iguodala hit his first three-pointer to begin the third quarter, after missing his previous 11 games dating back to Game 6 in Houston.
Before getting injured, Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 25 points on 10-17 shooting from the field and 4-6 from three-point range, before his injury occurred in the middle of the fourth quarter.
After making a return in Game 1 from a partially torn quad in round 1 of the NBA Playoffs, DeMarcus Cousins had a huge impact. He playing 28 minutes and finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Both Cousins and Draymond Green finished with a double-double. Green accumulated 17 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.
Despite the two big games from Leonard and VanVleet, the Warriors were able to hold the other Raptors, who had a huge impact on Game 1. Most notably was Pascal Siakam.
He scored 32 in Game 1, and shot 14-17 from the field. This included a stretch where he made 11 straight shots, the most in an NBA Finals in over 20 years. However, in Game 2, Siakam was held to just 12 points on 5-18 shooting.
Draymond Green Impact
Draymond Green has had a huge effect in the Finals. With his triple-double in Game 1, he followed it up with a 17-point, 10-rebound and 9-assist double-double in Game 2.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has praised Green:
“He’s been great on and off the floor. I mean, his leadership has been great… You’re seeing the best of Draymond right now.”
Green will need to continue this kind of production if the Warriors hope to have a three-peat as NBA champions.
