2018 NBA Finals: Game 2 recap, highlights and rapid reaction

Thanks to a second half 3-point barrage from Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors took care of business in Game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Golden State Warriors took the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ best punch in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. In Game 2 Sunday night, Stephen Curry returned the favor.

Setting an NBA Finals record with 9 made 3-pointers, Curry’s second half scoring barrage from beyond the arc proved to be too much for Cleveland’s overmatched defense, with the two-time MVP dropping 33 points, eight assists and seven rebounds on 9-of-17 shooting from downtown.

He was an absolute supernova in the fourth quarter after the Cavs cut the lead to 10 entering the final period, dropping 16 of his 33 points in the last 12 minutes to sink Cleveland’s hopes of stealing one on the road.

Kevin Durant had a much better night in Game 2 as well, piling on 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists on an incredibly efficient 10-of-14 shooting. Klay Thompson chipped in 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, Draymond Green had five points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Shaun Livingston added 10 points off the bench on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting.

LeBron James didn’t reach the half-century mark again on Sunday, but he played the role of facilitator and was the catalyst for the Cavs, finishing his night with 29 points, 13 dimes and nine rebounds. Kevin Love backed him up with 22 points and 13 boards, while George Hill added 15.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to overcome 15 triples and 57.3 percent shooting from the Warriors, who took a commanding 2-0 series lead with the 122-103 victory.

In the first quarter, the Warriors decisively looked like the better team, but the Cavs continued to display their resilience, countering every run from the defending champs with one of their own to stay within striking distance.

Though LeBron James wasn’t as dominant on the scoreboard as he was early on in Game 1, he played a well-balanced opening period to help keep Cleveland within four heading into the second.

However, Golden State’s 15-of-23 shooting in the first quarter quickly established the tone for the rest of the game, with the NBA’s top offense feasting on easy looks at the basket on botched Cavs switches and blatant mismatches.

Though they only led by four after the opening quarter, the Dubs capitalized on LeBron’s fatigue, poor shooting from Kevin Love (2-of-10 in the first half) and a couple of Curry heat checks to extend the lead to 13 by halftime.

The two-time MVP was brilliant in the second quarter, draining a couple of long range bombs to extend Golden State’s lead to as many as 15. Curry entered the break with a game-high 16 points, six assists and five rebounds, while KD chipped in 13 on top of Klay Thompson’s 10.

Shaun Livingston was a spark off the bench in particular, recording eight points on 4-of-4 shooting. LeBron led the Cavs with 15 points, eight dimes and seven boards. With the Warriors shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor and closing the half on a 19-10 run, the Cavaliers were actually lucky their deficit wasn’t even worse.

However, just like in Game 1, Cleveland hung tough in the third quarter, actually outscoring the league’s best third quarter team 34-31 in a crucial 12-minute frame to cut the lead to 10.

The Cavs opened the second half on a 10-4 run and despite a 10-point quarter from Klay Thompson, had cut the lead to eight with less than a minute to go in the period … until David West knocked down a corner 3 to extend the lead back to 11.

A dumb foul from Jordan Bell on an inbounds pass gave the Cavs a freebie at the foul line, allowing the Cavs to cut it to 10. Kevin Love was instrumental in third after a rough 2-for-10 first half, igniting for 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the period.

Curry created some extra distance for his team to start the fourth, putting poor Larry Nance Jr. and Cleveland’s other bigs in the torture chamber on switches and drilling back-to-back 3s to extend the lead back to 13.

He was just saving his best for Kevin Love, however, turning a terrific defensive possession for the Cavs into the early dagger. With the shot clock winding down and Love pressing, Chef Curry was forced to launch an improbable fallaway 3 at the basket.

Of course, it found nothing but net.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1003461835574652928

With a four-point play in the corner — his eighth triple of the night — and an assist to a cutting Durant on the following possession after Cleveland overplayed his shot, Curry had effectively sealed Game 2 up.

Rapid reactions:

• The Warriors were much better on the boards in Game 2 after being out-rebounded by 15 in Game 1. Though they still gave up 15 offensive rebounds, the Dubs tied the Cavs on the glass, 41-41.
• Livingston and JaVale McGee (who got the start over Kevon Looney) were X-factors in Game 2, combining for 22 points on a perfect 11-of-11 shooting.
• The Warriors deployed KD much more effectively on Sunday, going with far fewer isos and post-ups. Of course, when Durant shoots 10-for-14 from the floor, that doesn’t really matter as much.
• Curry was an absolute flamethrower in the fourth quarter, dropping 16 of his 33 points in the final period. The shots he was putting up on Cleveland’s poor bigs were just unfair. Like, “Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors” unfair. It won’t be long before we can put another stupid narrative — Curry not winning Finals MVP — to bed.
• Hill was much better for the Cavs in Game 2, but the Jordan Clarkson minutes continue to boggle the mind. Tyronn Lue has to start allocating those minutes to Kyle Korver, or even Rodney Hood or Cedi Osman.
• For the second game in a row, the Cavs matched the league’s best third quarter team. That has to continue at home for this series to get competitive again.
• After perhaps the biggest late-game blunder in NBA Finals history, J.R. Smith shot 2-for-9 from the field and was serenaded with chants of “MVP!” from the Oracle crowd when he went to the foul line. Ouch.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition

Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals will be on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland as the Cavs look to turn the series around.