Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals shifts to Chesapeake Area on Sunday night, as the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Golden State Warriors with the series tied at 1-1.
The Warriors brought the Thunder crashing back to Earth following their surprise win in Game 1, thumping their opponents 118-91. League MVP Stephen Curry returned to form during the contest, putting up a team-best 29 points, going 9 of 15 from the field, 5 of 8 from downtown and nailing all five of his attempts from the foul line. 17 of Curry's points came in the third quarter of the blowout win. Klay Thompson finished with 15 points and 4 assists, shooting 5 of 17 from the paint, while Harrison Barnes contributed 11 points and hauled in 6 rebounds. Three reservists emerged off the bench to log double digits for Golden State, including Andre Iguodala and Marreese Speights, with the former adding 3 steals and 5 buckets from the free throw line. The Dubs have had four full days to take account of what worked in Game 2, namely beating the Thunder at their own game by dominating them on the boards.
It would be folly for the Thunder to let Curry run roughshod over them by getting on another scoring streak as he did on Wednesday, but that is a task that the unit should savour, one that led the entire league in rebounding during the regular season. Kevin Durant led the charge for OKC during Wednesday's defeat, dropping 29 points, grabbing 6 boards, forcing 8 turnovers and going 11 of 18 from field goal range. Durant remains the NBA's leading offensive threat over the course of the Playoffs, averaging 27.4 points per match-up in 12 games played. Russell Westbrook had a double-double on the back of a 16-point, 12-assist outing but, as with his teammates, was cold from long range, where he finished 1 for 5. The Thunder collective shot 30.4% from deep in the loss. Steve Adams had 10 rebounds to add to his 9 points as the Thunder look to improve on their home court record, where they've lost only 12 games during both the regular and postseason.
