© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Warriors’ mantra is “strength in numbers.” With no Klay Thompson, no Kevin Durant and no Kevon Looney, the Warriors had few numbers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.
Below are three takeaways from the Warriors’ 123-109 loss in Game 3:
Steph goes for 47, receives little help
It was pretty clear from opening tip that Curry was about all the Warriors had going for them. He put up 25 points in the first half, with little help being provided. Even with a lights-out performance, Curry’s 47 points (14-of-31, 6-of-14 from 3-pt, 13-of-14 from FT), 8 rebounds and 7 assists were nowhere near enough. Draymond Green was the team’s second-highest scorer with 17 points (6-of-14, 2-of-6 from 3-pt).
It was a stunning performance from Curry, one that surely would’ve gone down as an all-time Finals performance had the Warriors one. The effort was a heroic attempt, if nothing else, and would certainly give him the strong edge to win Finals MVP if the Warriors can get healthy enough to win the series.
Trapping Kawhi backfired, thanks to Kyle Lowry and Danny Green
The Warriors had no business being in the game with the way they played in the first half. They got close, but fell apart by the fourth quarter. Aside from Curry’s imperious first half, the Warriors lacked any reliable offense. Draymond Green’s 7 points were the second-highest mark on the team on a woeful 2-for-8 mark from the field. The only reason the first half ended 60-52 in the Raptors’ favor was the fact that Kawhi Leonard was swarmed and stifled.
Leonard secured five of his nine first-half points from the free-throw line while struggling from the field (2-for-7) and turning the ball over three times. The approach felt similar, although not nearly as severe as the Raptors’ box-and-one defensive coverage on Curry in Game 2, in which they swarmed hear near constantly. Leonard was frequently trapped behind the arc after picking up his dribble with two defenders around him. This generally led to one of three things; a turnover, or a mess of switching and quick passing that finished with either a wide-open score or miss.
The problem with this approach was that Kyle Lowry played his best game of the series with deadly 3-point shooting. Lowry’s talent is often undersold because his streakiness leaves him prone to going cold for multiple games at a time. Most often, this shows up in his long-range shooting. An average percentage shooter on the year from three (34.7 percent) and slightly better in the playoffs (35.3 percent), it’s generally easy to tell whether Lowry is on or not.
Danny Green has proven to be much the same in the 2019 playoffs. After going eight games without hitting double-digit scoring throughout the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Finals, Green broke his duck in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, scoring 11 points in Game 1 (3-of-7 from 3-pt) and 8 points (2-of-5 from 3-pt) in Game 2.
He and Lowry were the heroes for the Raptors on Wednesday night.
After 7- and 13-point games in Games 1 and 2, respectively, Lowry thrived as one of the main beneficiaries from the frequent trapping schemes on Leonard. He was 8-of-16 from the field, 5-of-9 from 3-point range with 23 points in total along with 8 assists and 4 rebounds. He and Green (18 points, 6-of-10 from 3-pt, 5 rebounds) were incisive, knocking down the normally wide-open opportunities that broke for them when Leonard was able to get rid of the ball.
Their combined 41 points, mostly from outside, were insurmountable for a Warriors team that lacked any consistent offensive threat outside of Curry. Kawhi Leonard also quietly dropped 30 points along with 7 rebounds and 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, but without the complementary scoring he received from Lowry and Green (along with 18 points from Pascal Siakam and 17 points from Marc Gasol), it might have been manageable Golden State.
Klay doesn’t play
Will he play? Will he sit? Is he even healthy enough to play? There weren’t any answers on Klay Thompson’s health (hamstring strain) until minutes before tipoff. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported that Thompson was trying plead his case to play while Warriors officials urged him not to.
Reporting with @ramonashelburne: Golden State officials prefer Klay Thompson sit out Game 3 to protect his sore hamstring for the rest of NBA Finals, but Thompson has continued to lobby them on playing tonight. Decision looms prior to tip.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2019
Roughly an hour later, head coach Steve Kerr had no answer as to whether Thompson he would play, saying Thompson was a “game-time decision” and would need to be evaluated by trainers. Minutes before the game kicked off, he was finally ruled out of Game 3.
Klay Thompson (left hamstring strain) will not play.
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) June 6, 2019
Thompson still wore his sweats and was seen pacing around the sidelines, evidently disappointed that he couldn’t take the floor. Without him and Kevin Durant in the lineup, the Warriors were the Curry show; but with little additional help, that was far from enough.
Klay Thompson is pacing around in the background of this team huddle right now. Doesn't look pleased. Tonight, we're seeing just how valuable Thompson is to this team.
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) June 6, 2019