CLEVELAND -– Once again, the Warriors fell victim to the 'Game 3 Blues,' and this time it allowed the Cavaliers to pump life into their flickering championship hopes.
Trailing from tip to buzzer, the defending champions were took a 120-90 spanking from Cleveland before a raging sellout crowd Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena. The Warriors now hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.
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The Warriors showed only flashes of excellence, mostly by the reserves, who dug out of a 20-point first-quarter hole (33-13) to get within eight (51-43) at the half before collapsing in the third quarter.
[RATTO: What to make of Warriors' on-and-off performances]
Four Warriors scored in double figures, with Stephen Curry putting in 19 points, Harrison Barnes tossing in 18, Andre Iguodala 11 and Klay Thompson 10.
The Warriors were outrebounded 52-32 and also committed 18 turnovers, off which the Cavs scored a whopping 34 points.
Golden State Warriors
Star forward LeBron James led the Cavs with a game-high 32 points, while All-Star guard Kyrie Irving bounced back from miserable showings in Games 1 and 2 to pour in 30 points, 16 of which came in a scalding-hot first quarter.
The loss sent the Warriors to 0-4 in Game 3s this postseason and extended to five their overall losing streak in such postseason games, dating back to Game 3 of the 2015 NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Warriors, dating back to Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals.
STANDOUT PERFOMER
On a night when no Warrior truly shined, Barnes submitted some of his most respectable numbers of the postseason.
Barnes’ line: a postseason-high 18 points (7-of-11 from the floor, 2-of-5 beyond the arc), eight rebounds and two assists. He played 33 minutes and was minus-24.
TURNING POINT
This one came early, as the Cavs raced out to leads of 9-0, 23-8 and 33-13 in the first quarter and never really were threatened.
The Warriors got as close as seven (50-43) on a Shaun Livingston layup 29.5 seconds before halftime before Cleveland pushed its lead back to double digits early in the third quarter.
INJURY UPDATE
Warriors: G Klay Thompson sustained a L thigh contusion with 4:18 remaining in the first quarter, leaving the game. He returned with 7:18 remaining in the second quarter. F Kevon Looney (L hip surgery) was listed as out and, along with F James Michael McAdoo (healthy), placed on the inactive list.
Cavaliers: F Kevin Love (concussion) was listed as out and, along with F Sasha Kaun (healthy), placed on the inactive list.
WHAT’S NEXT
Game 4 is set for Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. PDT.