© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
If any game makes you appreciate Kevin Durant’s worth to the Warriors, it was Game 3 of this 2018 NBA Finals. Durant scored a game-high 43 points and added 13 rebounds with seven assists. The next highest-scoring Warrior was Stephen Curry, who scored 11 points, his second-lowest total of the season in which he played the full game.
On the road, in a must-win game for Cleveland, which trailed 2-0, none of Golden State’s All-Stars, aside from Durant, gave even a semblance of his normal production. Durant’s performance in Golden State’s 110-102 win over Cleveland was career-defining— and capped fittingly.
With fewer than one minute remaining, Durant cleared the Warriors out for an isolation. He took a couple dribbles, pulled up on that familiar left wing in Quicken Loans Arena, and let it fly — splash. The Warriors took a 106-100 lead, the result of a Herculean performance by the four-time scoring champion.
Out of all of Durant’s incredible performances in his Hall of Fame career, this likely reigns supreme. That he scored 32 more points than the next Warriors player, on a team with three additional All Stars, in a pivotal game to extend Golden State’s Finals lead to 3-0, was nothing short of amazing.
When it mattered most, though, Durant got the help he needed. Curry made a scoop layup, then a pull up three-pointer on consecutive possessions to give the Warriors a 101-97 lead. LeBron James (33 points) responded with a three-pointer, Andre Iguodala followed with a dunk, the Warriors got a stop, and Durant hit the dagger to effectively seal the game.
Durant was the sole reason why the Warriors stayed close in the first half. The Cavs jumped out to a quick 16-4 lead in the first quarter. Durant continued to chip away, providing Golden State’s only consistent source of offense. He grabbed all seven Golden State rebounds in the first quarter. He scored 24 of of the Warriors 52 points at halftime, the product of deadly scoring from everywhere on the floor, as the Warriors trailed the Cavs by six points.
Durant’s ridiculous half was just what the Warriors needed as they entered the third quarter, their favorite period to dominate. They were plus-377 during the regular season in the third quarter, and their playoff run has been punctuated with one prolific third quarter after the next.
Wednesday was no different. The Warriors outscored the Cavs 31-23 to take a two-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
The game teetered back and forth entering the waning minutes. But Curry awoke from 45 minutes of slumber, and Durant accentuated a career-defining performance with a 33-foot dagger.
The Warriors lead the NBA Finals 3-0, seemingly poised to repeat as champions.