NBA finals Game 3: Toronto Raptors v Golden State Warriors – live!

Raptors 60-52 Warriors, start of 3rd quarter

Starters back in. We’re off and running in the third quarter.

Toronto’s starters are back in with 3:13 to go. A crucial stretch from here until intermission. Lowry’s three-pointer to make it 55-42 ends a scoring drought of nearly five minutes for Toronto, but Curry answers with a pair of free throws followed by a 30-footer to close the lead to 55-47. The Golden State defense has cranked it up over the last few minutes. They’re making all the rotations, contesting shots, drawing charges and, crucially, challenging Leonard’s handle and forcing him into turnovers. A big three-pointer by Lowry, his third of the night, makes it 58-58 with 33.9 seconds to go, but he picks up his third foul on the other end to send Curry to the line (who makes both). A quick exchange of baskets takes us into half-time with Toronto holding an eight-point edge.

Curry has scored 25 points (on 7-for-13 from the floor) with seven rebounds and four assists so far. He finished with 23 points (on 6-for-17 shooting) with seven rebounds and four assists in all of Game 2. Here’s a look at the full half-time box score.

Raptors 52-40 Warriors, 4:20 2nd quarter

The Warriors are shooting 37.1% from the floor – or 33% if you take away Curry’s 6-for-12 – as America’s First Couple watch from the front row. But the Raptors may be missing an opportunity to blow it open a bit as they’ve gone scoreless over the last three minutes.

Raptors 52-38 Warriors, 6:28 2nd quarter

The Raptors are starting to open it up a bit and the crowd is getting restless. The hallmark switchability of the Golden State defense has been dramatically compromised by the injuries to Thompson, Durant and Looney. Curry is already doing more than his share on offense and the Warriors are still down by 14. Siakam is leading the way with 14 points for Toronto, but all five Raptors starters have at least two field goals midway through the second frame.

Raptors 45-33 Warriors, 9:42 2nd quarter

Kerr is going to give Curry a puff to start the second quarter. Livingston, Iguodala, Jerebko, Cousins and Cook are on the floor. Not a Golden State combo that we’re used to seeing at any point, let alone Game 3 of the NBA finals. The Warriors quickly go minus-5 with Curry and Kerr gets a timeout. Curry will be re-entering. Siakam has six points already this quarter and team-high 12 points, two rebounds and two assists on the night.

Raptors 36-29 Warriors, end of 1st quartrer

McKinnie, Cook, Bogut, Curry and Draymond on the floor for the Warriors after the timeout. McCaw, Green and Ibaka are in for Siakam, Gasol and Lowry. The dormant crowd comes alive on back-to-back baskets by McKinnie and Cook, but Leonard is starting to make his presence felt with four free throws followed by a three-point play on a baseline dunk that makes it 33-23. Draymond responds with a three-point play and Curry drains a 32-footer to cut it to six, but Danny Green hits from downtown on the other end to end the opening frame. And what a first quarter it was for Stephen Curry, who already logged 17 points, six rebounds and three assists so far. He scored or assisted on the Warriors’ first eight baskets.

Curry’s 17 points are tied for the most in the first quarter of an NBA finals game by any player in the last 20 years.

Raptors 26-16 Warriors, 2:13 1st quarter

Siakam hits from outside to extend a run of eight unanswered points for the Raptors. That’s six straight games where the Warriors have fallen behind by double digits in the first half. The teams trade baskets and Kerr makes the first substitution with Andrew Bogut and Quinn Cook coming in for DeMarcus Cousins and Shaun Livingston. Curry continues to fill it up but the Raptors continue to answer on the other end. Bogut’s lay-up to make it 24-16 at the 4:14 mark is Golden State’s first non-Curry basket of the night. A Gasol dunk extends the Toronto lead to double digits at the under-four TV timeout.

Raptors 15-7 Warriors, 7:37 1st quarter

And we’re off! Curry gets a couple of open looks early and scores the first five points of the game for the Warriors, including an unassisted 30-footer. But all five starters have already scored for the Raptors, who have made five of their first eight shots to take an early eight-point lead. Curry is 2-for-4, while the rest of the Warriors are 0-for-4.

It’s national anthem time at Oracle Arena. Not much longer now. Country artist Tenille Arts is performing O Canada, while Metallica’s James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett are playing the Star-Spangled Banner.

The officials for Game 3 are Marc Davis, David Guthrie and Kane Fitzgerald. Sean Wright is the alternate official. Eric Lewis is the official in the NBA Replay Center.

Teams that win Game 3 when the NBA finals is tied at one win apiece have a 31-7 series record (.816).

NBA TV’s Jared Greenberg reports that Klay Thompson won’t be playing in tonight’s Game 3. That leaves the Warriors even more undermanned with Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney already sidelined.

The Warriors are departing Oakland after this season for a new $1bn arena across the bay in San Francisco. Our Vivian Ho and Gabrielle Canon took a look at what the move will mean for the city in the long term, while Golden State coach Steve Kerr spoke before tonight’s game about what he expects from the home crowd in the final two (or three) games here.

“I expect our crowd to be loud tonight and energetic,” Kerr said. “I think they know that we need them more than ever, given our injury situation. And this has always been an unbelievable home–court advantage, so I expect a rowdy crowd tonight and whatever day the next game is. Every day’s Wednesday; that’s what they say in the NBA. It is Wednesday. Who knew?”

Toronto coach Nick Nurse said the uncertainty around Klay Thompson’s status doesn’t affect his team’s game-planning or preparation very much. “I think we’re at the point of this series where we got to get out and guard these dudes, whoever’s out there,” Nurse said during his pre-game availability. “We got to get playing our defense, quit worrying so much about special plays, this, that, and the other thing. We need to get into the ball. When you’re guarding it, be great at guarding the ball; when your man doesn’t have it, help, make the rotations; if somebody goes to help, help the helper. Fly out at shooters and block out. We got to do a better job of that if we want to win.”

Hello and welcome to Oracle Arena for Game 3 of the NBA finals between the Raptors and Warriors. The series is knotted at one game apiece ahead of tonight’s return to Oakland and all eyes are on All-Star swingman Klay Thompson and whether he’ll be available for Golden State after being forced out of Game 2 with a hamstring strain. Thompson is listed as questionable and Warriors coach Steve Kerr re-affirmed moments ago that he will be a game-time decision for a team already down Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney. “We’ll see how he’s feeling,” Kerr said. “We’ve got to do the smart thing, too. It’s still early in the series and if there’s any pain, any discomfort, any risk, then he’ll sit out.”