Watch: J.R. Smith nearly beats the buzzer from half-court

As time expired in the first half of Wednesday’s NBA Finals Game 3, J.R. Smith drained a shot from halfcourt. Only one problem—it came after the buzzer sounded.

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As time expired in the first half of Wednesday’s NBA Finals Game 3, J.R. Smith drained a shot from half-court. Only one problem—it came after the buzzer sounded.

Smith finished 3-for-8 with eight points in the half with the heave, and the Cavaliers entered the locker room with a 51–43 edge over the Warriors. Cleveland held on to win 120–90 to cut its deficit to 2–1 in the series.

In Games 1 and 2, Smith combined for just eight points on 3-of-9 from the field. His shot-taking, which normally is not an issue, came into question as Cleveland struggled to score against Golden State.

•​​ MORE NBA: LeBron delivers in Game 3 rout | Warriors need Curry to step up

Smith recovered to finish with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-10 from three-point range. Game 4 is Friday at 9 p.m. ET in Cleveland.

– Kenny Ducey