The Cleveland Cavaliers (4-5) continued their four-game road trip in San Francisco against the Warriors on Saturday night.
Cleveland, who lost the first game on this trip when they fell to the OKC Thunder on Wednesday night, were looking to defeat the Warriors (6-4) for the second time this season.
Mission accomplished!
The Cavs used a big second and fourth quarter to defeat the Warriors 118-110 and get their first win at Chase Center.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Botton Line of the Cavs’ win over Golden State.
Great:
Caris LeVert: After scoring 29 points against the Thunder, LeVert had another strong game off the bench. He had 10 of his 22 points in the second quarter; LeVert added five rebounds and four steals. He has given the Cavs instant offense off the bench in the first nine games of the season and was big on Saturday night.
Everybody else: The Cavs had six players in double figures against the Warriors:
Donovan Mitchell added 21 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Darius Garland chipped in with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, and five steals.
Evan Mobley had 19 points and five rebounds.
Max Strus scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and had four assists.
Jarrett Allen had 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Second Quarter: Cleveland trailed 31-30 at the end of the first quarter, but they stepped it up in the second quarter. Midway through the quarter, the Cavs went on a 10-2 run to lead 52-40. Cleveland had its largest of the game at 64-47 in the second. They finished the quarter shooting 54% from the field and 54% from deep. They outscored Golden State 38-21 and led 68-52 at halftime.
Fourth Quarter: The Cavs struggled in the third, and they only led the Warriors by one heading into the fourth quarter. Golden State went on a run once Draymond Green got ejected after getting his second technical for shoving Mitchell in the third.
However, Cleveland settled things down in the fourth. Dean Wade started the quarter with back-to-back threes, and they went on a 26-11 run to take a 16-point lead, and they never looked back.
Defense: The Cavs forced 20 turnovers, which led to 32 points. In addition, Cleveland held the Warriors to 41% from the field.
Not So Great:
You can find some things for sure: Cleveland was outrebounded 55-45, but we’ll pass on it today.
Bottom Line:
This is a quality win for the Cavs. They beat the Warriors twice in less than seven days, which is impressive. In addition, they are getting the job done on the road(3-2). Furthermore, it was good to see Mitchell show some fight and intensity when battled with Green; he didn’t back down, and the Cavs did not back down.
What’s Next:
Cleveland continues their four-game road trip in Sacramento against the Kings.
Best of the Rest:
Steph Curry led the Warriors with a game-high 30 points. Klay Thompson added 14, and Kevon Looney had two points and 13 rebounds.
The Cavs swept the regular season series over GSW (2-0) for the first time since 2009-10.
