2018 NBA Finals Game 4 vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Lore & Background

Kevin Durant scored a playoff career-high 43 points in Game 3. In Game 4, he recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Stephen Curry scored 37 points and made seven three-pointers in Game 4. The Warriors led nearly the entire game, taking a 61–52 halftime lead and expanding it to 86–65 by the end of the third quarter. LeBron James left the game with 4:03 remaining to a standing ovation. Durant was named Finals MVP for the second straight year, receiving seven of 11 votes; Curry received the other four.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Quicken Loans Arena was thick with tension as the fourth quarter began. Cleveland had clawed back, fueled by the impossible energy of LeBron James, who poured in 29 points in the final period alone to make it a one-possession game late. But then, the tide turned. A three-pointer from Klay Thompson silenced the home crowd. Kevin Durant, calm amidst the chaos, sank jumper after jumper to put the game away. The roar of the Cleveland faithful slowly faded, replaced by the rising chant of 'MVP' for the Warriors' man, as the final seconds ticked away, sealing a victory that felt less like a win and more like a survival.

Reader's Guide

The Warriors won the series 4–0. Kevin Durant averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in the series. The series broke the record for highest average scoring differential per game (15.0) in an NBA Finals series.

Did You Know?

• Kevin Durant became the first and only player in Warriors franchise history to win two consecutive NBA Finals MVP Awards.
• Durant also became the first and only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP in his first two seasons with a team.
• The 2018 Finals were the most recent NBA Finals to have a repeat champion as of 2026.
• The series was the first time in any of North America's four major professional sports leagues that the same two teams met for the championship for four consecutive years.