Game 3 between the Heat and Thunder was a see-saw affair. Miami jumped out to the early 1st quarter lead, but unlike in the previous 2 games, the Thunder found enough of an answer to not fall behind by a huge deficit early on. As a result the Thunder were able to catch the Heat in the 2nd and from that point on the game was rarely separated by more than 2-3 possessions at a time.

The turning point in the game came in the 3rd quarter when the Thunder finally began to execute at both ends of the court. Taking a 10 point lead, it looked as if OKC was ready to take back their home court advantage. Unfortunately with just 3 minutes to go in the 3rd, everything fell apart. Kevin Durant picked up his 4th foul, Russell Westbrook was benched after some erratic play, and the Thunder were only left with James Harden to try and carry the offensive load. He could not, and soon the Heat had recovered.

Defenses once again ruled the 4th quarter, and in the end the Heat were able to make a few more plays and hit a few more free throws to close out the game and take a 2-1 series lead.
.