Patty Mills, Aron Baynes and their San Antonio Spurs have regained their NBA Championship-winning form with a 27-point demolition of the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Spurs' easy victory gave them a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series with the Clippers.
After suffering a heavy loss in the first game and often struggling in an overtime win in game two, the Spurs were never challenged on their home court on Friday with a 100-73 victory.
"We got our butt kicked," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told reporters.
The Clippers' 73-point total was a franchise playoff low.
Before the game Mills was considered the key player with Spurs' starting point guard Tony Parker in doubt with an ankle injury and expected to play few minutes.
But the Spurs were so dominant by the fourth quarter both Mills and Parker were resting on the bench and third-string point guard Corey Joseph was running the reserves.
Mills scored six points from two big three pointers.
Queensland power forward Baynes, who was benched in Thursday's game two after the Clippers repeatedly torched him in game one, was also tossed in for the final minutes and scored four points and three rebounds.
The star for the Spurs was recently anointed NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard who had 32 points, four rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.
"We had energy out there and all bought into the game plan," Leonard said.
Game four is in San Antonio on Sunday and if the Spurs win they could close out the series on Tuesday in game five in Los Angeles.
In other playoff games on Friday, the Houston Rockets, powered by monster efforts by James Harden and Dwight Howard, took a 3-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks with a 130-128 shootout.
Harden had a playoff career-high 42 points while Howard also had a postseason best 26 rebounds.
Game four is in Dallas on Sunday.
In the Eastern Conference the Washington Wizards also grabbed a 3-0 lead in their series with the Toronto Raptors.
The Wizards' electric guard John Wall had 19 points and 15 assists while veteran Paul Pierce had a trademark game-sealing performance with two late three-pointers to give his team the 106-99 victory.
Washington can sweep the Raptors on Sunday.
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