Game 3: Golden State Warriors 110-97 San Antonio Spurs - 5 Talking Points
This game almost seemed trivial in the grand scheme of things for the Spurs, following the death of Erin Popovich, but they tried their best and it wasn't enough.
The Golden State Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs for the 11th time in their last 12 meetings, to go up 3-0 in the first round of the 2018 playoffs, to all but book their place in the Conference Semi-Finals. Game 3 followed the script of the first 2 games, as San Antonio hung in there for much of the night, only for the Warriors to eventually pull away to seal the deal.
Here are the five biggest takeaways from the game:
#5 Kevin Durant leads the way
Kevin Durant balled out with 26 points, 6 assists, and 9 rebounds as the Spurs had no answer for him once again. Durant scored 17 in the first half to pace the Warriors in a back-and-forth 1st half. He also hit some big shots in the 3rd quarter as Golden State began pulling away from San Antonio.
He had plenty of help too, as Klay Thompson had 19 points and Shaun Livingston scored 16. All in all, 6 Warriors scored in double figures in a balanced effort as they once again shot over 50% from the field as a team, for the 3rd time in a row. The questions leading up to the playoffs regarding whether Durant can win without Steph Curry have been answered and expect the Golden State machine to roll on to the Conference Finals even if he's not around.