NBA Finals 2019: 3 Talking points from Golden State Warriors vs Toronto Raptors

Despite not having key players due to injuries, many experts projected a Golden State win in game 3 citing the energy the home crowd brings, and of course, the resilience of the defending champs. However, the Raptors made sure to take care of business and capitalise on the vulnerable GSW squad, eventually stealing a convincing 123-109 win on the road.

"They outplayed us. They deserved it," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "I'm very proud of our effort, and now we just got to bounce back and hopefully get back here in here Friday night and hopefully get a little healthier and get some guys back."

It's been a welcome sight to witness an NBA Finals that still hangs in the balance with an unpredictable result even after three games. Both teams have exhibited inhuman levels of toughness to reach to this point and are willing to lay it out on every possession in the ongoing series as well.

Let's take a look at a few key takeaways from this majestic road win by the Raptors over the ailing Warriors squad.

#1 The Klaw got help: All five starters scored in double digits for the visitors

Toronto was one tough squad to defend in Game 3

When scoring is coming from all corners of the floor, it's hard to put a stop to the bleeding. Kawhi went about his business, and eased his way to a team-high total of 30 points, but what truly caught attention was the contribution from his entourage.

Each player from the Raptors' starting lineup scored at least 17 points along with 11 clutch points from VanVleet off the bench. Lowry chipped in with 23 points and 9 assists while center Marc Gasol finished with 17 of his own. Serge Ibaka had as much points as he had blocks, making him the first player to record 6 blocks off the bench in an NBA Finals.

One of the respectable showings came from veteran shooter Danny Green who contributed 18 in his best game of the playoffs – including six three-pointers. He was 5-of-6 from downtown at one point in the game, but then went on to miss three of his next four shots from deep.

#2 Stephen Curry was not ready to let this one slip easily

Stephen Curry is averaging 27.4 ppg in the playoffs this year so far.

The 2-time MVP was well aware of the dearth of offensive production when the Warriors took the floor for Game 3. He raced off to a blazing 17-point first quarter (on 4-8 shooting from beyond the arc) matching his most in the period for the postseason.

He had 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals to go along with his stellar individual scoring performance. In his 43 minutes on the court, Curry shot 14 free-throws and missed just one.

He finished the game with a playoff-career-high total of 47 points, (on 6-of-14 shooting from the three-point line) but apparently it wasn't enough to lead his side to victory. This was the second most points scored by any player in a Finals loss. And we can all guess who the first on this list would be. Well, LeBron James' 51 points in the Game 1 loss of the Finals last year.

The 2-time MVP's headstrong scoring in Game 3 also meant that he became only the 9th player to score 45 points or more in an NBA Finals game.

#3 Golden State got their first taste of being undermanned at the biggest stage of them all

This is probably the most vulnerable GSW has ever been in the Finals.

Klay Thompson's appearance in Game 3 was a game-time decision and the coaching staff decided to sideline the star shooter citing a serious hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Durant missed his eighth straight playoff game ever since his exit due to a calf strain in the Rockets series, and also missing was backup center Kevon Looney.

Steve Kerr decided to start Livingston, Curry, Cousins, Green and Iggy, with Cook, Bogut and McKinnie coming off the bench to play extended minutes throughout the game. Clearly, Toronto was a way better team on paper in terms of talent and that's what took over during the course of the game.

The Raptors had multiple options to throw the ball to and they matched it with intense hustle on the defensive end as well, leaving the hosts clueless at times.

Every time the Warriors tried to build momentum for one of their classic runs, they'd always find themselves searching for talent and confidence, which would eventually lead to Toronto answering back. They did cut the lead to as low as seven points on a couple of occasions, but their apparent lack of quality perimeter shooting (except Steph) got to them time and again.