It took the most unusual journey to get to overtime, but the Warriors ultimately prevailed in a 124-114 victory in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals on Thursday night at Oracle Arena.
TEAM LEADERS
The Dubs scored the first nine points of overtime and used some timely 3-point shooting to take a 1-0 series lead. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson each scored over 20 points and Draymond Green fell one assist shy of a triple-double, doing just enough to overcome a stellar performance from LeBron James.
Curry led the Dubs with 29 points and nine assists, Durant tallied 26 points, nine boards and six assists and Thompson delivered 24 points, matching Curry with five 3-pointers. Green finished with a stellar all-around effort with 13 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, five steals and two blocks while Shaun Livingston came off the bench and produced 10 points and three assists in 18 minutes.
Although the Dubs shot 51 percent from the field and committed just seven turnovers, they had trouble putting the Cavs away, thanks in large part to James. Playing in his eighth straight NBA Finals, James had a playoff-career high 51 points, eight rebounds and eight assists
BIZARRE TWIST
The game featured 17 ties and 16 lead changes, including the exciting yet bizarre end to regulation. After Stephen Curry converted a three-point play to give the Dubs a one-point lead with 23.5 seconds left, the Dubs were a defensive stop away from taking a 1-0 series lead. But the Warriors committed a foul in the final seconds, sending Cleveland's George Hill to the free throw line.
Hill knocked down his first free throw to tie the game at 107-107, but missed the second. Cleveland’s J.R. Smith grabbed the offensive rebound and dribbled away from the basket and the Dubs’ defense, running out the clock instead of trying to make a game-winning shot.
That miscue was a big break for the Dubs, who quickly took advantage with a dominant 17-7 run in overtime. Durant gave the Dubs the lead for good with a pair of free throws a minute into the extra period, and Thompson followed with the first of his two 3-pointers in overtime. Livingston had a pair of baskets to extend the Dubs’ overtime run to 9-0 before Green ultimately delivered the knockout blow with his second trey of the game.
KLAY PASSES KOBE
Klay Thompson grew up in Southern California watching Kobe Bryant, and now Thompson has passed his childhood idol on the postseason 3-pointers list. Thompson is now sixth all-time with 297 3-pointers in the playoffs.
JAVALE PROVIDES A SPARK
Warriors center JaVale McGee hadn’t played regular minutes in more than a month, but in Game 1 he was ready for the moment. He played just a minute in the first half, but started the third quarter and immediately made his presence felt. He forced James into a tough shot after being switched onto the future Hall of Famer, then converted a pair of shots at the rim on his way to being a plus seven in six minutes on the court.
UP NEXT
After a thrilling series opener, the NBA Finals continue with Game 2 on Sunday at 5 p.m. at Oracle Arena. Find Tickets