Warriors ward off wonderful James, win Game 3 in NBA finals

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Defending champions Golden State Warriors survived a blazing start by the Cleveland Cavaliers to clinch a thrilling 110-102 victory for a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals on Wednesday night.

In a game that went down to the wire, Kevin Durant sank the Cavaliers with a playoff-career high 43 points as the Warriors overcame a 13-point, first-half deficit to inch closer to their third NBA title in four seasons.

"That was amazing what he did out there tonight," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "Some of those shots, I don't think anybody in the world can hit those but him. He was incredible."

Kevin Durant attempts a layup defended by George Hill in the second half during Game Three in Cleveland. /VCG Photo

Earlier, the Cavs had a near-perfect start and built a 16-4 lead during a wild stretch that saw James whip the home crowd into frenzy when he threw an amazing alley-oop pass to himself off the backboard.

The second half of the game saw a scintillating contest and it was a neck and neck battle until a Durant three-pointer from well beyond the arc put the Warriors ahead by six, sealing the game with 50 seconds to play.

Continuing his sublime form, LeBron James was the fulcrum of the Cavalier's challenge and his 33-point performance wasn't enough to thwart the high-flying Warriors.

LeBron James drives to the basket against the Golden State Warriors. /VCG Photo

Warriors guard Stephen Curry, however, had a rare off-night as he could manage to garner a paltry three-of-16 shooting. But still the Warriors grabbed their first lead of the game during a 17-6 run to start the third quarter, setting the stage for a tense finish to a game that saw 11 lead changes.

"He's one of the best one-on-one players in our league. Top two best players in our league," said Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue said about Durant’s red-hot form.

The visitors will get their first chance to close out the series on Friday in Cleveland.

(With input from Reuters)