OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors, with 37 points from MVP Stephen Curry, moved within one step of ending the franchise's 40-year championship drought with a 104-91 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night, taking a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals.

Game 6 will be Tuesday night in Cleveland, where LeBron James and the Cavs will try to force a seventh game and maintain hope of ending that city's 51-year pro sports title drought.

After a series-low 20 points in Game 4, James was incredible once again -- collecting 40 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists and making one clutch play after another down the stretch. But despite using a smaller lineup to match the Warriors, the Cavs couldn't find consistent offense from anyone else. Tristan Thompson had 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the enigmatic J.R. Smith had 14 points -- all in the first half -- on 5-of-15 shooting.

Curry played like the MVP when the Warriors needed it most with a 17-point fourth-quarter barrage that finished the Cavs. He was 13 for 23 from the field and 7 for 13 from the 3-point line with seven rebounds and four assists. Draymond Green had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Leandro Barbosa 13 points off the bench.

James scored, assisted on Iman Shumpert’s 3-pointer, made a floater and drilled a deep 3-pointer that gave the Cavs an 80-79 lead with 7:47 left. Curry and Klay Thompson answered with back-to-back 3-pointers -- the Splash Brothers finally emerging together at the right time -- to give Golden State an 85-80 lead.

James hit a turnaround jumper and set up Tristan Thompson inside, cutting it to 85-84. But Andre Iguodala, starting his second straight game, brought the house down at the famously loud Oracle Arena with a 3-pointer and putback for a 91-84 lead with 3:45 left.

Curry then knifed into the late for a lefty layup and hit a 3-pointer off the dribble for a 96-86 lead with 2:44 left -- the first double-digit lead by either team.

When James hit another deep 3-pointer to give him 40 points for the night, adding to one of the legendary Finals performances, the Cavs were still down by seven, 96-89. James was 15 for 34 from the field.

Stephen Curry
Golden State's Stephen Curry played like a MVP in Game 5. (Getty Images)

Here's what we learned:

Good J.R., Bad J.R.: After shooting 30 percent (14 for 47) in the first four games, including 2 for 12 from the field and 0 for 8 from 3-point range in Game 4, Smith made a positive impact for the Cavs in the first half with 14 points in 17 minutes. He didn't score again, missing all four of his attempts in the second half. Smith also was assessed a flagrant in the first quarter for launching himself at Green while setting a screen. Should Smith be assessed another flagrant in Game 6, he would be suspended for Game 7 if there is one.

LeBron James is deadly on two days off: After laboring through a series-low 20 points in Game 4, James had a head of steam again with two days of rest before Game 5. With the 2-2-1-1-1 format in the Finals and five-hour flights between cities, fatigue and recovery have been two of the most important themes of the series. For James, the point was even more pronounced, given that he had played 183 of the 202 minutes through the first four games. James was much more energetic and engaged Sunday night, logging another 45 minutes and nearly posting a 20-point triple-double in the first half alone (when, incredibly, he scored or assisted on 16 of Cleveland’s 17 baskets). Worth noting: Should the series return to Oakland for Game 7, James would have two days rest again.

David Blatt can go small, too: After the Warriors ran out to an 8-2 advantage early with their small lineup, Blatt countered by sending Timofey Mozgov to the bench in favor of Smith. It was a tactical gamble, as Mozgov was coming off a 28-point, 10-rebound performance in Game 4. Blatt increase Mike Miller's minutes, too, in an effort to match the Warriors’ pace and account for his team’s mounting fatigue. Mozgov re-entered the game late in the third and started the fourth and got dunked on ferociously by Harrison Barnes. Mozgov was scoreless in nine minutes. His counterpart, Andrew Bogut, didn’t play at all.

 

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS vs. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Golden State leads series 3-2

NBA Finals
Game Date/Series Location Time TV
Game 1: Golden State 108, Cleveland 100 (OT) Thu. June 4 Oracle Arena -- --
Game 2: Cleveland 95, Golden State 93 (OT) Sun. June 7 Oracle Arena -- --
Game 3: Cleveland 96, Golden State 91 Tue. June 9 Quicken Loans Arena -- --
Game 4: Golden State 103, Cleveland 82 Thu. June 11 Quicken Loans Arena -- --
Game 5: Golden State 104, Cleveland 91 Sun. June 14 Oracle Arena -- --
Game 6: Golden State at Cleveland Tue. June 16 Quicken Loans Arena 9 p.m. ABC
Game 7*: Cleveland at Golden State Fri. June 19 Oracle Arena 9 p.m. ABC
*If necessary