Curry scores 37 to give Warriors 3-2 series lead

The Golden State Warriors have taken a 3-2 series lead thanks to some insane shot-making by Stephen Curry.

Curry drained three fourth-quarter triples as part of a 37-point effort to edge out LeBron James's 40-point, 14-rebound and 11-assist performance. Curry scored 17 in the fourth en route to a 104-91 victory for Golden State.

Turning Point

There's probably something to that report about Curry being upset with the lovefest for Matthew Dellavedova's supposed "lockdown" defense. He put the screws to Delly on Sunday, draining three key triples in the fourth quarter to deliver the win.

The first came with seven minutes left in the fourth. Matched up with Dellavedova on an isolation, Curry busted out myriad dribble fakes, before draining a Steph-back trey over Dellavedova. That gave the Warriors a two-point edge.

Curry was at it again four minutes later. Matched up with Dellavedova once again, Curry toyed with the Cavaliers' pest. Curry put Dellavedova in the torture chamber, busting out a crossover and a sleight of hand before draining yet another Steph-back trey over a flailing Dellavedova. That shot brought the Oracle faithful to their feet and gave the Warriors a 10-point lead.

There was no coming back for the Cavaliers after that blow. After 40 minutes of tireless, relentless and hard-fought basketball by Cleveland, having Curry drain two impossible treys was nothing less than cruel.

But just for good measure, Curry drained a third triple to put the Warriors ahead by 11 with under two minutes to go. He followed that up with four free throws to ice the game as part of a 17-point fourth-quarter effort.

Star Performer

It doesn't matter that the Cavaliers lost. It's still LeBron James.

James' superhuman efforts have been discussed every way possible. It was much of the same on Sunday as James assisted or scored on 70 of Cleveland's 91 points.

James posted yet another triple-double with 40 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists in 45 minutes of play. That's the sixth triple-double of James' Finals career, leaving him two shy of Magic Johnson's all-time record of eight on the NBA's biggest stage.

But credit has to be given to Curry and Andre Iguodala, as well.

Curry deserves endless praise for his fourth-quarter outburst. He put the game away with sheer skill. For Iguodala, it was a matter of sheer will. He took the brunt of James' relentless pounding, yet still managed to spin a masterpiece two-way performance. Iguodala narrowly missed a triple-double himself, scoring 14 points, handing out seven assists and grabbing eight rebounds in 42 minutes of work.

Highlight Reel

• LeBron and Curry trade filthy step-back jumpers
• Harrison Barnes punctuates first half with emphatic put-back
• Warriors double LeBron but it doesn't matter one bit
• Andre Iguodala puts on fantastic display of passing in first half
• Iman Shumpert beats Leandro Barbosa but can't beat the open basket
• Draymond sets the tone with two early dunks

Series at a Glance

Game 1: Warriors 108, Cavaliers 100 (OT) (Warriors lead series 1-0)
Game 2: Cavaliers 95, Warriors 93 (OT) (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: Cavaliers 96, Warriors 91 (Cavaliers lead series 2-1)
Game 4: Warriors 103, Cavaliers 82 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: Warriors 104, Cavaliers 91 (Warriors lead 3-2)
Game 6: Warriors at Cavaliers, Tue. June 16, 9 p.m. ET
*Game 7: Cavaliers at Warriors, Fri. June 19, 9 p.m. ET

*if necessary

Alternative Series at a Glance