NBA Playoffs 2019: Four takeaways from the Golden State Warriors' Game 3 win over the LA Clippers

Benyam Kidane and Scott Rafferty

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NBA Playoffs 2019: Four takeaways from the Golden State Warriors' Game 3 win over the LA Clippers image

It appears as though the Golden State Warriors have learned their lesson.

Following a historic collapse in Game 2 of their first-round series with the LA Clippers, they regained homecourt advantage in Game 3 with a massive 132-105 victory.

Kevin Durant was spectacular in the win for Golden State, scoring a game-high 38 points in only 29 minutes of action.

For more on the game, here are four takeaways...

"I'm Kevin Durant"

Durant wasn't himself in Game 2. Not only did he attempt only eight shots in the loss, he fouled out in 34 minutes of action.

It was only the second time Durant has fouled out of a game this season, the other time coming ... in a loss to the Clippers.

Durant made sure Game 3 wouldn't come down to the wire again, as he exploded for 27 points in the first half alone. According to Warriors PR, it tied his highest scoring first half in a playoff game, set back in 2013 against the Houston Rockets.

Durant also made some history during his first-half explosion by moving into 14th place of the all-time postseason scoring list, passing Magic Johnson.

Oh, and all that scoring helped the Warriors take a 73-52 lead heading into halftime.


Durant did more of the same in the third quarter by pouring in 11 more points. He finished the game with 38 points on 14-for-23 shooting from the field and 7-for-8 from the free throw line.

A hot start for Stephen Curry

Curry was pretty impressive, too.

He played only 20 minutes, but Curry was Golden State's second-leading scorer with 21 points on an efficient 7-for-11 shooting from the field.

Curry did the bulk of that scoring in the first quarter (13 points, 3-3 3PT), which helped set the tone for the night — the Warriors jumped out to an early 41-24 lead that they would only build on in the second quarter.


The Clippers bench

The second unit for the Clippers still put up numbers, but they weren't able to make the same impact as Game 2.

While Lou Williams finished with 16 points in 20 minutes, he missed seven of his 11 shot attempts. As for Montrezl Harrell, he had 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting after scoring 26 points (11-15 FG) in Game 1 and 25 points (9-9 FG) in Game 2.

JaMychal Green also made an impact with 15 points, but the Clippers were still outscored by 24 points in his 21 minutes on the court.

With the starters struggling, the Clippers didn't have much hope.

Bogut and Looney shine in Cousins' absence

Losing DeMarcus Cousins for the remainder of the playoffs was always going to be tough, but with Andrew Bogut waiting in the wings, the Warriors have the ultimate insurance policy, and so far it's paying off handsomely.


Pre-game, Steve Kerr described Bogut as a "god send" and the Aussie wasn't far off in Game 3, posting eight points, 14 rebounds and five assists, with a +24 in just 25 minutes of action.

Bogut's defensive instincts haven't missed a beat, but perhaps the biggest wrinkle he adds is his passing and playmaking, which was on full display in Game 3, running the offence from the elbow and kicking out to open shooters.  


Meanwhile, Kevon Looney followed up his big Game 2 performance with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting in his 17 minutes on court.

Benyam Kidane and Scott Rafferty