ON TO CLEVELAND

After taking the first two games of the series, the Warriors head to Cleveland for the next two games of the NBA Finals, beginning with Game 3 on Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 03:00 CAT.

LAST TIME OUT

Stephen Curry logged a triple-double and Kevin Durant tallied 33 points and 13 boards as a strong second half lifted the Dubs to a 132-113 win over the Cavs in Game 2. Full Recap

MATCHUP AT A GLANCE

Playoff Ranks

GSW

2-0

1st in West

118.9 PPG (1st)

46.6 RPG (2nd)

28.4 APG (1st)

CLE

0-2

2nd in East

114.8 PPG (2nd)

42.7 RPG (9th)

22.1 APG (6th)

PROJECTED STARTERS

GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia

CLE: Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson

INJURY & ROSTER NOTES

GSW: None. Team Notes

CLE: Edy Tavares (right hand fracture) is out. Team Notes

DURANT’S DOMINANCE

There’s a lot to unpack from Kevin Durant’s dominant two-way performance in Game 2. First and foremost, he led Golden State with 33 points, combining with Stephen Curry (32 points) to form the first Warriors tandem ever to both score at least 30 points in the same Finals game. Consequently, with those 33 points, Durant joined Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to score at least 25 points in each of their first seven Finals games. Now, let’s add in the rest of his stats. In addition to his 33 points, Durant recorded a team-best 13 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and three steals to become the first player ever to post those numbers in a playoff game and just the fourth player in Finals history with a 30-point, five-block game. The five blocks tied his personal playoff career-high, and the eight combined blocks and steals represented the most he’d ever had in a playoff game. He was thoroughly impressive on both ends of the court, and even provided the Warriors with some highly productive minutes at center when Draymond Green went to the bench with foul trouble. He used his length to shoot over defenders on offense and to contest and change countless shots on defense. He has raised his game to meet the demands of the moment, and so far, the Cavaliers haven’t had an answer for him.

TEAM PLAYOFF LEADERS

GSW

PTS: Curry (28.8)

REB: Green (8.6)

AST: Green (6.7)

CLE

PTS: James (32.0)

REB: Love (10.9)

AST: James (7.5)

THE LONG (RANGE) GAME

In Game 1, the Warriors made one more three-pointer than the Cavaliers on two additional attempts. In Game 2, however, Golden State made more than twice as many treys as Cleveland, and that made all the difference in the outcome. The Warriors shot 18-of-43 (.419) from three-point range in Game 2, compared to 8-of-29 (.276) shooting from the Cavs. That comes out to a 30-point advantage in points off three-pointers for Golden State in a game they won by 19, and the Warriors’ 18 threes set a new league record for most treys in a Finals game. Golden State’s proficiency from long-range proved necessary due to the fact that Cleveland held a 60-40 advantage in points in the paint and a nine-point advantage in points off turnovers. Dating back to the regular season, the Warriors are undefeated this year when shooting better than 36.0 percent from beyond the arc, and if they’re able to get hot from long distance again in Game 3, it could be the decisive factor in matchup.

By Andy Fahey for gswarriors.com