Toronto Raptors retake series lead with win in Game 3 of NBA Finals

A 47-point outing from Stephen Curry wasn’t enough to defeat the Toronto Raptors, who cruised to a big win over the Golden State Warriors

In the final series of games ever played at Oracle Arena, the Toronto Raptors played spoiler to the Golden State Warriors, taking Game 3 of the NBA Finals by a 123-109 score.

Stephen Curry came out of the gates firing. The two-time NBA MVP finished the first quarter with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He hit three 3-pointers, grabbed six rebounds, and had three assists in the frame.

Despite the heroics from No. 30, Toronto held a 36-29 advantage after 12 minutes.

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Curry finished the first half with 25 points. No other player on the Warriors hit double digits – Draymond Green was the second-highest scorer with seven points.

The Raptors starters, on the other hand, each had at least eight points in the first half. They were led by Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam, who had 15 and 14, respectively. Kawhi Leonard had nine points, three rebounds, and three assists and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line.

In the third quarter, Leonard and Curry led their respective teams in scoring with 15 points apiece.

It was Danny Green who was the big difference in this contest. After going 3-for-4 from 3-point in the first half, the 31-year-old hit another three triples in the third, bookended by a trey at the end of the frame that gave the Raps a 16-point lead.

"“I wouldn’t say (I felt) hot, but I was comfortable. We had a good rhythm, we had a good flow, we had a good couple of stops to where we could run and get our transition; where we could get some good, uncontested looks. I had a few good looks, and they fell for me,” Green said postgame. “There were a couple of opportunities that I missed that, if I was hot, I would usually make … and maybe it was fatigue but guys played hard, guys made shots, and did the little things.”"

Toronto was doing it all on the defensive end as well, finishing with nine steals and 10 blocks – headed by Serge Ibaka, who had six on his own.

Green also had one of the lasting images of the game on a chase-down block of Quinn Cook to start the fourth.

Golden State made a big run to extinguish the Raptors’ lead, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough to get the job done. Fred VanVleet would nail the dagger with Draymond in his face to seal the deal.

Jeremy Lin, Jodie Meeks, and Malcolm Miller all made appearances in garbage time after Curry was subbed out of the game and the Raps walked out with a 14-point win.

Curry was the offensive catalyst for the Warriors, scoring a playoff career-high 47 points with eight rebounds, seven assists, and a pair of steals.

Leonard led the Raps with one of the quietest 30-point outings in these playoffs. Toronto also got great games from Lowry (23-4-9), Siakam (18-9-6), Green (18-5-1), and Marc Gasol (17-7-4).

"“It’s a lot of pressure, too. If one of their main guys is not playing, they could still come out and get a win. Steph played great tonight. It’s big. I’m happy we got (the win), we’re two wins away now and we’ll see where this momentum carries to,” Leonard said postgame."

The Raptors will be looking to take a commanding 3-1 series lead back to Toronto on Friday when they play Game 4.

What did you think of the Raptors’ performance in Game 3 against the Warriors? What do they need to do in Game 4 to ensure a victory? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!