The Toronto Raptors took a 103-97 lead after Kawhi Leonard single-handedly went on a 10-2 run to put his team in position to close out and win the championship.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson had other plans.
The Splash Brothers backcourt had to handle almost the entire scoring load after Kevin Durant re-injured his leg and they answered the call. They combined for 57 of the Warriors' 106 points – 53.8% of the team's scoring. When you include baskets they assisted on, they accounted for 77 of their team's 106 points.
The majority of their damage came from beyond the arc.
Curry shot 5-for-14 (35.7%) from 3-point range while Thompson shot a terrific 7-for-13 (53.8%). The Warriors hit a franchise NBA Finals-best 20 3-pointers, shooting 20-for-42 (47.6%), while outscoring the Raptors 60-24 from the perimeter. Thompson's seven made 3s was also a personal Finals record.
With their backs against the wall and the team's 3-peat slipping away from them, their two All-Star guards showed nothing but composure down the stretch of the game to assure they kept the series alive.
Thompson got a 3 to go with 2:32 remaining in the game to bring his team within three – he showed no reaction, just a straight face determined to mount the comeback. After teams traded empty possessions, Curry came off a down-screen and tied the game at 103.
STEPH TIES IT UP! pic.twitter.com/RPIS5nYuva
— ESPN (@espn) June 11, 2019
Leonard missed a 3-point attempt of his own, and Thompson took advantage of the moment – a shot that eventually won the Warriors the game.
SEASON ON THE LINE. CLUTCH KLAY. pic.twitter.com/T4l2HFdc8H
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 11, 2019
Two players that have so much championship experience that they didn't let a six-point deficit with two and a half minutes on the clock in an elimination game rattle them.
"We played it poised there, especially down the stretch," Thompson told the NBATV crew following the win. "I don't think a young team would be able to do that. Down six, three minutes left, their ball – a lot of teams would have folded. But when you have the firepower we do, you're never out of it."
Thompson continued to explain how the Warriors were prepared for this moment, "We've seen it all. 3-1 lead blown, we've come back from down 3-1, we've been down 3-2. We're lucky to play 100-plus playoff games to see all of it because nothing really phases us at this point. Now we go back to The Bay feeling like we got a free shot."
This series returns to Oakland for the final game at Oracle Arena for Game 6 on Friday.
