The Golden State Warriors rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit to defeat the Denver Nuggets, 110-108, in Game 3 of their playoff series at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., but not without a scare. Andre Iguodala tossed up a half-court shot for the Nuggets that was nearly on target and would have given Denver the win. Instead, the Warriors own a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
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Stephen Curry scored 29 points and dished out 11 assists to lead the comeback for the Warriors, who outscored the Nuggets in the third quarter, 33-18, to turn a 12-point deficit into a three-point lead. Denver squandered away its largest lead of the series with poor second-half shooting, particularly from Andre Iguodala, who went 1-for-7 from the floor in the second half.
Ty Lawson scored 19 points in the first half and kept Denver in the game down the stretch, making several big defensive plays in addition to his game-high 35 points. However, with the Nuggets trailing by three with less than 30 seconds left, Lawson did not attempt a shot, and Andre Iguodala turned the ball over instead. Jarrett Jack, who overcame seven turnovers to score 23 points, made one of two free throw attempts with 21.5 seconds remaining to extend Golden State's advantage to two possessions.
Wilson Chandler hit a three-point basket five seconds later to bring the Nuggets back to within a point, and after a quick foul, the Warriors were whistled for a five-second violation on the ensuing inbound attempt. Lawson had the ball in his hands this time, but lost it out of bounds while trying to get around Festus Ezeli.
Carl Landry added 19 points, 13 of which came in the first half, off the bench for Golden State. Corey Brewer scored 16 points in backup duty for Denver, but was largely ineffective after halftime.
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