Cavs, Warriors Sweeping NBA Semi-Finals
Well, as we expected all year long the Warriors and Cavaliers are steamrolling their way through the playoffs. As of Saturday night, both teams have extended their conference semi-final series to 3-0. While the Celtics fell in Game 3 to the Wizards and the Spurs have recovered with two consecutive wins, Golden State and Cleveland have recorded definitive wins in Game 3 to all but secure their spots in their respective conference finals.
On Friday night, LeBron James scored 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, playing 41 efficient minutes on the way to a 115-94 win over the Raptors. Kevin Love added a double-double with 16 points and 13 boards. Love and Tristan Thompson had 25 rebounds between them, helping Cleveland out-rebound the Raptors, 49-25. Jonas Valanciunas had Toronto’s highest total with 8 boards.
The Raptors were without three-time All-Star Kyle Lowry, who sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of Game 2 and did not practice Thursday. He worked out a few hours before Friday’s game and was on the court during warmups but left before the game began. DeMar DeRozan did his best to fill the gap with 37 points, going 13 for 13 from the free throw line. But the team fell short from three-point territory, shooting 2-18, meanwhile the Cavs sank 13 of 23 from beyond the arc.
“It’s tough to win a game when you only make two 3-pointers,” DeRozan said.
Game 4 takes place on Sunday in Toronto. History does not favor the Raptors right now. But LeBron swears the Cavs are treating their upcoming game like any other.
“We don’t need to be thinking about a sweep or getting rest, we need to be thinking about what we need to do to execute defensively and offensively coming into Sunday,” James said.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors notched their third straight against the Utah Jazz, largely on the shoulders of Kevin Durant. After dropping 17 and 25 points in Games 1 and 2, Durant turned up the heat Saturday night with 38 points and 13 rebounds. Steph Curry added 23 points, 5 boards, and 4 assists.
