The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the shorthanded Golden State Warriors on Friday night. The Warriors, who lost to the Celtics on Thursday night in OT, were without Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins due to rest.
However, none of that mattered.
After trailing by double-digits for most of the second half, the Cavs, who were down by as many as 20 points, cut the Warriors’ lead to four with two minutes left in the fourth, but Ty Jerome hit a three on the next possession, and the Warriors defeated the Cavs 120-114 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Cleveland(28-19), who was without Donovan Mitchell(groin) for the second straight game, have lost two straight and three out of their last four.
Here’s The Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Warriors.
Darius Garland led the way for Cleveland with 31 points, nine assists, and two steals. Eighteen of Garland’s 31 points came in the first half. He didn’t shoot it that great(10/25 FG, 3/11 3-PT FG), but he did his part.
Defense: Cleveland gave up 120 points to Ty Jerome, Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, and others. Golden State lit them up from downtown. The Warriors made 23 threes and shot 54% from deep. Poole(5) and Jerome(3) made a combined eight threes. WOW!!
Rebounding: The Warriors outrebounded the Cavs 45-35. That’s unacceptable. That means you let Golden State outwork you!!
Third Quarter: Golden State shot 58% from the field, including 60% from deep in the third. The Warriors had their largest lead of 20 points in the quarter. Again, they just wanted it more!!
Even without Mitchell, this loss is super unacceptable. The Warriors sat pretty much their whole starting lineup. In many ways, the Warriors were willing to give this game up, but crazy things happen in the NBA.
This was the Cavs’ worst performance of the season! Again, Unacceptable!!
What’s Next:
Cavs host the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
Best of the Rest:
-Poole led the Warriors with a game-high 32 points; Jerome had 22 points, DiVincenzo added 17 points, and Kevon Looney chipped in with four points and 17 rebounds.
Golden State had six players in double figures.
-For the Cavs, Caris LeVert had 22 points, including five threes. Evan Mobley added 17 points and eight rebounds.
-Ricky Rubio(injury management) did not play Friday night.
Before the start of their seven-game homestand, many said this was the point where the Philadelphia 76ers needed to take advantage of these games and make their move in the standings.
After four games, they have just done that, including Friday night’s 118-106 victory over the Golden State Warriors. The 76ers(16-12) have won four straight at Wells Fargo Center and are 10-1 in their last 11 home games.
Joel Embiid led the way with 34 points and 13 rebounds, and James Harden added 27 points, five rebounds, and nine assists.
Philly is getting it done without Tyrese Maxey(foot), and on Friday night, they were without Tobias Harris(back), but despite that, they keep on winning.
“It’s next man up mentality,” Embiid said. “We are missing our best player in Tyrese [Maxey]. Tobias has been great this year. He’s doing his thing, been efficient defensively; he’s been great. When you are missing these types of guys, it’s hard, but I think we have enough talent. Guys like Shake(Milton), Matisse(Thybulle), they’ve been playing really well. Can’t talk enough about De’Anthony [Melton]; he’s been amazing. All of them; D-House, George, Furk, all of those guys are definitely doing their job. I think the main thing is that everyone has bought in
76ers head coach Doc Rivers likes the direction the team is going in right now.
“We’re healthier; we’re getting there–slowly,” Rivers said. “We’re playing better basketball. We’ve kind of found, and we’re still not there because we need everyone back, but we’re finding who we are. I think our guys are finally seeing like this is who we are; this is how we have to play. They know it. They’re starting to visualize what we are, and that’s a good thing.”
P.J. Tucker, who had seven points and six rebounds, added: “I say the biggest thing is just our energy and effort towards each other, helping each other be successful. I always like saying, like Coach [Erik Spoelstra]’s favorite sayings, “enjoy somebody else’s success,” and I feel like that’s like huge when it comes to the bench, and everybody’s just having that good energy and that good comment towards everybody. I feel like that’s picked up a lot, and everybody’s spirit has gotten better as a team.”
Philadelphia is getting healthier and is starting to look like the team many thought they would be when the season started. They hope to keep the good vibes going on Monday night when they battle the Raptors.
The Cleveland Cavaliers(8-4) concluded their five-game road trip in San Francisco against the Warriors(5-7), and behind the heroics of Steph Curry, who had 15 of his 40 points(6/11 3-PT FG) in the fourth, the Cavs fell to Golden State 106-101 at Chase Center.
Cleveland has now lost three straight.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Warriors
Great:
Donovan Mitchell almost had a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals. Mitchell did his part, but it wasn’t enough.
Evan Mobley had a double-double with 20 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. This is his second double-double of the season. The Cavs used their size effectively against the Warriors, but again, it wasn’t enough.
Points in the Paint: Cleveland had a lot of success in the paint as they scored 54 points.
Not So Great:
Darius Garland: He was off again Friday night. He finished with 15 points and eight assists, but he was 5/19 from the field. Garland is 6/28 from the floor in the last two games, including 2/9 from deep.
Fourth Quarter Defense: Curry is Curry, and for most of the game, the Cavs defended well, but not in the fourth. Cleveland allowed 32 points in the fourth and allowed the Warriors to shoot 63% from the floor.
The final 4:38 of the game: After a Caris LeVert four-point play, which was ruled a flagrant foul, Cleveland had a six-point possession after a Jarrett Allen dunk, which put them up 95-87. However, just like they did against the Clippers, they couldn’t close. They were outscored 19-6 the rest of the way as Curry scored 13 of his 15 fourth-quarter points in the final 4:38 of the game.
Bottom Line:
The Cavs could not close the show in the final three games of this road trip. Cleveland had a 13-point lead late against the Clippers with five minutes left, couldn’t close against the Kings, and lost another lead late against Golden State. Cleveland could have easily gone 5-0 on this trip; instead, they went 2-3. It’s early, but this trip was a disappointment for sure.
What’s Next:
The Cavs return home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Best of the Rest:
All five of Cleveland’s starters scored in double figures Friday night. Jarrett Allen had 13 points and nine rebounds, and LeVert added 11.
Andrew Wiggins had 20 points; Draymond Green had two points, 13 assists, and nine rebounds, and Jordan Poole added 18 points.
On Wednesday, the NBA released its complete game schedule for the 2022-23 regular season.
The 77th NBA regular season will tip off on Oct. 18, 2022, and conclude on April 9, 2023. The 2023 NBA Play-In Tournament will take place from April 11-14, followed by the start of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 15.
Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals is scheduled to be played on June 1.
Opening Night
The regular season will begin on Oct. 18 with a doubleheader on TNT. In the first game, the Philadelphia 76ers will visit the reigning Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m. ET). In the second game, the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors will receive their championship rings before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET).
Christmas Day
Five games will be played on Christmas Day for the 15th year in a row, with ESPN or ABC televising each matchup.
NBA on Christmas Day will tip off on ESPN as the Knicks host the 76ers (noon ET).
The next three games will air on both ESPN and ABC, with the Lakers visiting the Mavericks (2:30 p.m. ET).
The Celtics will host the Bucks in a 2022 Eastern Conference Semifinals rematch (5 p.m. ET).
The Grizzlies make their Christmas Day debut when they visit the Warriors in a 2022 Western Conference Semifinals rematch (8 p.m. ET).
The Christmas Day schedule will conclude with the Nuggets meeting the Suns in Denver on ESPN (10:30 p.m. ET).
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
TNT will present a doubleheader as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 16. In the first game, the Atlanta Hawks will host the Heat in a rematch of a 2022 Eastern Conference First Round series (3:30 p.m. ET). In the second game, the teams with the two best records in the 2021-22 regular season will meet when the Suns (NBA-best 64-18 last season) visit the Grizzlies (56-26 last season) at 6 p.m. ET, marking Memphis’ 21st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Game.
NBA TV will also televise two games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with the Celtics visiting the Charlotte Hornets (1 p.m. ET) and the Lakers hosting the Houston Rockets (10:30 p.m. ET).
Election Day
As Election Day approaches, the NBA and its teams will continue to encourage fans to make a plan to vote and participate in the civic process. New this season, all 30 teams will play on Monday, Nov. 7, on the day before Election Day, when the NBA will help promote voter participation.
NBA Rivals Week
Classic and budding rivalries between teams and players will take center stage for NBA Rivals Week during the week of Jan. 23. A new highlight of the regular-season schedule, NBA Rivals Week, will feature 11 nationally televised games across four networks over five days from Jan. 24–28. Rivalries will be the focus of all nine games across TNT, ESPN, and ABC that week, in addition to two games on NBA TV.
The complete game and broadcast schedule for NBA Rivals Week, which will include four rematches from the 2022 NBA Playoffs, is available here.
2022 NBA Finals Rematches
The Warriors and Celtics will meet for the first time since the 2022 NBA Finals on Dec. 10 in San Francisco on ABC (8:30 p.m. ET), the first of seven regular-season games on Saturday nights at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
The second and final regular-season matchup between the two defending conference champions will occur on Jan. 19 in Boston on TNT (7:30 p.m. ET).
Final Day of Regular Season
All 30 teams will play on the final day of the regular season(April 9). The seven games between Eastern Conference teams and the one interconference game (Rockets at Washington Wizards) will begin at 1 p.m. ET, and the seven games between Western Conference teams will start at 3:30 p.m. ET. ESPN will televise a doubleheader, with the matchups to be determined at a later date.
Schedule Highlights
All 30 teams are scheduled to make at least one appearance on TNT or ESPN in the 2022-23 regular season. The NBA on TNT, ESPN, ABC, and NBA TV will present flexible scheduling throughout the regular season to provide the most compelling matchups to a national audience.
The 2023 NBA All-Star weekend will be Feb. 17-19 in Salt Lake City.
Thanks to the play of Andrew Wiggins, the Golden State Warriors are one game away from an NBA title after defeating the Boston Celtics 104-94 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Chase Center on Monday night.
Golden State leads the series 3-2 and can close it out in Game 6 at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday night.
Wiggins scored a team-high 26 points to go along with a game-high 13 rebounds; this is Wiggins’ second consecutive double-double as he had 17 points and 16 rebounds in Game 4.
Golden State led 75-74 heading into the fourth, and they went on a 14-4 run to take an 89-78 lead after a Wiggins driving hook shot at the 5:38 mark; the eight-year veteran capped his performance with a driving dunk over Derrick White late in the game.
Wiggins finished the fourth with 10 points(5/6 FG), five rebounds, and he was +15.
With Steph Curry’s struggles from the field(7/22 FG), including 0/9 from deep, Wiggins had to pick up the slack. According to him, carrying the load in the Finals is a dream come true.
“It’s something I dreamt about for sure, being in the league, and this is the ultimate stage,” he said. “It doesn’t get bigger than this. I was out there being aggressive. It was a good game.”
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr added on Wiggins: “He’s just been fantastic, not just in this series but throughout the playoffs.”
In this series, Wiggins is averaging 18.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game and has done it on both ends of the court. According to StatMuse, he leads the Finals with 101 contested shots. Also, he is doing a good job on Jayson Tatum, who is shooting 5-21 (23.8%) in the fourth in this series.
Defense is all about energy and effort, and Wiggins has brought that throughout this series.
“He’s embraced the challenge of consistency and what he’s capable of doing on both ends of the floor.,” Curry said. “The fact that there’s opportunity for him to do what he’s doing because of the way that we play and because of the way that we’ve embraced him from day one. Try to paint a picture of what his skill set can do for us to reach the highest level. Bottom line is he’s just having fun playing basketball.
“That’s the biggest thing. Everything he’s been through in his career. All the talk about him as the No. 1 guy, No. 2 guy, No. 1 pick, all that type of stuff, I’m sure he’s enjoying this more than anything else he’s experienced in this league. That’s kind of what it’s all about.”
In 2020, Wiggins was traded from the Timberwolves to the Warriors. Draymond Green, who had eight points, eight rebounds, and six assists in Game 5, said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Wiggins in Minnesota, gave him the stamp of approval.
“When he first came here, and I’ll never forget, it was when Thibs [Tom Thibodeau] wasn’t with the Knicks, and Thibs was like, you’re going to love him,” Green said.
“He competes. He defends. And he was telling us Jimmy loved him. And we all know how Jimmy Butler is. If you have any softness to you, Jimmy don’t like you. That’s how Jimmy is cut. He’s continued to show that. He’s continued to get better. He’s taken on every challenge that we have thrown in front of him. And that’s been huge. And we need him to do that for one more win.”
Golden State still has to get one more, and that one more won’t be easy. Boston is a tough, resilient bunch, and they won’t fold very easily. Initially, we had the Warriors in 7, and we’re sticking to that.
Notes:
Curry streak of a 233 games(regular season and postseason) with at least one made three was snapped Monday night. This is the first time in his career that he did not make a three in a postseason game.
The Boston Celtics fed off their crowd and came out with a lot of energy in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Jaylen Brown had 22 of his 27 points in the first half, nine rebounds, and five assists; Jayson Tatum added 26 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, and Marcus Smart chipped in with 24 points, seven rebounds, and five assists as Boston defeated the Warriors 116-100 at TD Garden to take a 2-1 series lead.
Game 4 is Friday night in Boston.
The Celtics had their largest lead of 18 points in the first half and led 68-56 at halftime. However, in the third quarter, the Warriors went on a 25-10 run to take their first lead since the first quarter as Steph Curry(15) and Klay Thompson(10) combined for 25 points in the quarter, but things fell apart for the Warriors in the fourth.
The Warriors were outscored 23-11 in the fourth as they shot 33% from the floor and 1/9 from downtown. The Celtics went on a 17-7 run to take a 14-point lead, taking complete control from there.
Curry, who had a game-high 31 points, including six threes, said the first quarter, where the Warriors trailed 33-22 after one, and the first few minutes of the fourth sunk the Warriors.
“That first two or three minutes kind of set the tone for the rest of the fourth and gave them a little bit of a cushion,” Curry said. “We had a hard time responding after that. So between the first three minutes of the fourth and the first 12 minutes of the game, that was pretty much it.”
Things went from bad to worse for the Warriors as Curry’s leg was rolled up on late in the fourth. Curry would remain in the game until he was removed along with the rest of the starters.
According to Curry, who missed 12 games in the regular season after injuring his foot against the Celtics in March, he should be fine.
“I’ll be all right,” he said. “I got caught — obviously in some pain, but I’ll be all right. See how it feels tomorrow and get ready for Friday…
“Same thing I did in Denver — or against Boston in the regular season, but I’ll be — not as bad.”
If the Warriors don’t have Curry, they won’t win this series. It’s that simple. Hopefully, for the Warriors, the NBA, and the fans, Curry will be ready to go in Game 4.
Notes:
Draymond Green, who was public enemy number one in Boston, was not very good Wednesday night as he had two points, four rebounds, and three assists in 35 minutes of action. Green would foul out in the fourth.
According to StatMuse, Green has as many fouls as points, more techs than threes, and more turnovers than baskets.
When asked how he played in Game 3, Green said: “Like sh**.”
Earlier in the season, when the Bostons Celtics were floundering, many were calling for the team to trade either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown.
After a loss to the Bulls in November, Marcus Smart called out Tatum and Brown and said the following:
“Every team is programmed and studied to stop Jayson and Jaylen,” Smart said. “I think everybody’s scouting report is to make those guys pass the ball. They don’t want to pass the ball.”
On Wednesday, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka discussed that moment during NBA Finals media availability.
“The thing about the Chicago game was that nothing said publicly had not been said privately,” Udoka said. “Although it may rub people wrong because it was said publicly, that was something we were working on behind the scenes every day, film session, one-on-one sessions. We all understood the areas we need to improve. That was what it was, and we moved past that pretty quickly.”
That moment changed things for the Celtics.
As the season progressed, Tatum and Brown figured it out, and after falling to 18-21 in January, Boston went 33-10 over the final 43 games.
Brown became a first-time All-Star, and Tatum was first-team All-NBA for the first time in his career.
The duo had big moments together in the regular and the playoffs. In April, Tatum had 31 points and six assists, while Brown added 32 points and seven assists in the 128-123 victory over the Pacers. According to ESPN Stats & Info, it was the first time since Game 2 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Semifinals that two Celtics had recorded 30 points and five assists in the same game.
Tatum and Brown are averaging at least 20 points per game during the 2022 playoffs. According to StatMuse, they are the third pair of teammates aged 25 or younger to reach the NBA Finals, with each player averaging 20 or more points per game.
Both Tatum and Brown discussed the struggles.
“Were there like moments that were tough? It was just like, you know, it was very frustrating,” Tatum said. “You know, head-scratching and all those type of things. It was more so, how can we figure it out? It wasn’t, like man, we can’t do this. It was; we got to figure something else out. It was tough. There were definitely some tough moments…
“Beginning of this year, every game was like, I don’t know if we’re going to win. It was a lot tougher than it should be, and that’s something I wasn’t used to.”
Brown added: “Last year, obviously things didn’t work out, etc., for other reasons, but this year, I didn’t feel like it was because of the way we played basketball. I just think they didn’t come together at the right time. Early on in the season, I was injured. I missed about 15 games. You know, the narrative isn’t going to say that. They are just going to say that you guys lost. Doesn’t matter what the excuse is. We’ve got a first-year head coach. We were trying to figure it out. We play in a city that it has no patience for any excuses, so we didn’t make any. But as things started to come together, we got healthier. We made a couple moves in the front office that were vital for us, and things started to fall in line.”
If the Smart moment doesn’t happen, who knows if Boston would be in the Finals at this point? But one thing is for sure, the Celtics have figured it out and are four wins away from winning an NBA title.
Prediction:
This is a tough series to call. Both teams are defending at a high level, and both teams are getting production from multiple players. The Warriors have the experience as this is the sixth time they have been to the Finals in the last eight years, while no one on the Celtics has been on this stage before.
However, it might come down to who has the best player, and you can argue that Tatum has been one of the best players in these playoffs, and Brown has not been too far behind. In addition, Boston has been battled-tested in these playoffs as they won two Game 7s. One on the road and one at home.
The Warriors do have something to prove as they want to show that the duo of Curry, Thompson, and Green can another title without Kevin Durant.
Here’s a shot in the dark: Warriors in 7, but Boston in 7 would not be surprising.
After three years away, the Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Finals after defeating the Mavericks 120-110 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.
Golden State won the series 4-1.
The NBA Finals begin next Thursday at Chase Center.
The Warriors last made the Finals in 2019 when they lost to the Toronto Raptors, and that was with Kevin Durant leading the way.
Durant is off in Brooklyn, who got swept in their opening round series by the Celtics, while Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are on their way to the Finals for the sixth time in eight seasons.
After Durant left, things went south for the Warriors as they missed the playoffs the past two seasons. It’s been rough for the Warriors, but now they are back.
“The fact me, Klay, Draymond, from 2015 to now, six out of eight years having a chance to compete for a championship,” Curry, who had 15 points and nine assists and won the Magic Johnson Western Conference finals MVP, said after the win. “The feeling leaving 2019 Finals and realizing, like, we had been on an amazing journey, then got hit with a lot of adversity, some speed bumps, but never lost the faith we could get back here.”
Green, who had 17 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, added: “After being counted out, dynasty is over, all of those things. To get back here it’s fantastic. It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication and to an incredible organization. We continue to stick with it, show what we’re capable of. This one feels great. But got four more wins to get.”
Thompson missed the past two years after tearing his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals and tearing his Achilles in 2020, and he was big-time in Game 5 as he had a game-high 32 points, including eight threes. After the game, Thompson was emotional, and he explained why.
“Just such a surreal feeling,” Thompson said. “It’s hard to put into words, really. This time last year, I was just starting to jog again and get up and down the court. Now to be feeling like myself, feeling explosive, feeling sure in my movements, I’m just grateful. All those emotions kind of rushed through me, and I thought about our training staff, I thought about Rick Celebrini, I thought about Steve, I thought about those days me and Rick were together in Santa Cruz, and I was in a terrible mood.
“We were together in the summertime. All those long days. They would tell me it would pay off. It was hard to see that at the time. Now to actually be here, I can feel it paying off.”
Golden State is back, and they are playing at a high level. Plus, they will have homecourt advantage in the Finals. In addition, the Warriors could get back Andre Iguodala and Gary Payton II.
However, they have to still win four more games. Based on the way they’re playing right now, the Warriors will be the favorites and will be tough to beat.
Steph Curry put on a show Sunday night and put a bow on All-Star Weekend in Cleveland. Curry had 50 points on 17/30 shooting from the floor, including 16/27 from three-point range as Team LeBron defeated Team Durant 163-160 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Cleveland fans booed Curry throughout All-Star Weekend, but he turned to jeers to cheers after this special performance.
The 16 threes are an All-Star game record, and he fell two points short of the All-Star record of 52 points, which Anthony Davis set in 2017.
Curry has done a lot during his NBA career. He’s won two regular-season MVPs, three NBA titles, but he’s never won an All-Star MVP. After his fantastic performance, Curry became the first recipient of the Kobe Bryant Trophy as he was named All-Star MVP.
“This is definitely special,” Curry said. “The first year you got to honor Kobe and his life and his legacy with this trophy. All the thought that went into it. I can’t spit it off the top I my head, but I know that everything on this trophy means something in terms of his life and what he represented, accomplishments on the court, and to have it be an All-Star MVP trophy and for it to be the first one, it definitely makes it special. I’ve only won one, and to have this one, it will have a special place at my house.”
Both Curry and LeBron James were born in the same hospital in Akron, Ohio, and it was fitting that James, who spent many years with the Cavaliers, would be the guy that hit the game-winner, which Curry discussed postgame.
“Yeah, I told him on the court after the game it was kind of a perfect ending,” Curry said. “I was chasing that extra two or three points. I think DeMar(DeRozan) hit a big shot, and then he came out and hit the game-winner. It was kind of a perfect ending. Obviously, I got the MVP; I played well the whole night. He hit the game-winner. All the history of our series and the Akron ties, and all that kind of going into how the night went, so it was pretty — can’t really draw it up any other way. It’s right on the nose of how it should go.”
At halftime, the NBA, which is celebrating its 75th season, honored the top 75 players in league history, and Curry, who was on the list, enjoyed being around some of the greats of the game.
“It definitely took me back to just growing up watching the game,” he said. “There was a moment we were out there; we didn’t want to leave the stage. I don’t know if anybody saw. I was just enjoying the moment. With me, D-Wade, CP, Bron, Giannis. Somebody else was over there. We were all kind of just acknowledging how we were like kids in a candy store laughing and just what was actually happening and what that accomplishment actually means, and you look around and see all-time greats that we looked up to coming up in the game.
“I couldn’t stop smiling. I don’t think I will for a while. You see the names on the list, and you understand and appreciate when the announcement came out that you made the team and all that, but when you see them in person, and you feel like the aura of what they were and are in terms of history of the game, it’s just a whole different experience. That was special.”
The Warriors(42-17) are 6.5 games behind the Suns(48-10) for the top spot in the Western Conference. Golden State is expected to get back All-Star Draymond Green and James Wiseman, and Curry is excited about what the Warriors could be going forward.
“All we can do is control what we can control, and I feel like we’ve done a pretty good job of that so far,” Curry said. “Like you said, we’ve had a lot of injuries, and we haven’t been whole in a very long time. When Klay(Thompson) came back, Draymond was out the same night—still waiting on the three of us to take the floor again. But it’s all kind of shaping up to try to peak at the right time. Hopefully, Draymond is back quick. Still got Wise (James Wiseman) on the burner, ready to make his appearance this year, and then figure out what our rotation is going to look like going into the best part of the year. But to be in that conversation again after last two years that we’ve had, I’m pretty rejuvenated and excited to be back in that atmosphere.”
The Suns will be without Chris Paul for the rest of the regular season, so maybe the Warriors could make a push for the top spot in the West in the final seven weeks of the season. No matter what happens with Phoenix, Golden State is a legitimate contender for an NBA title.
It was “Klay Day” Sunday night at Chase Center as Warriors star Klay Thompson returned after missing two-plus years due to ACL and Achilles injuries.
In his return, Thompson scored 17 points, including three threes. This was a great day for Thompson, a great day for the Warriors, and a great day for the NBA.
Oh, by the way, Golden State defeated the Cavs 96-82.
Golden State(30-9) snapped their two-game losing streak, while the Cavs(22-18) have lost two of three.
Here is the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Warriors.
The Great for the Cavaliers:
Fourth Quarter Rondo: Rajon Rondo set a season-high in points for the second straight night. He scored 13(5/6 FG, 3/3 3 PT) of his 15 points in the fourth. Golden State led by as many as 21 points in the fourth, and two Rondo threes cut the lead to 10 on two occasions. Rondo did everything in his power to get the Cavs back into the game, but it wasn’t enough.
No Fear Stevens: Lamar Stevens played with no fear Sunday night. The second-year guard scored a career-high 17 points with four rebounds and two steals. Whether it was guarding Thompson or finishing at the rim, Stevens was fearless.
The Not so Great for the Cavaliers:
Turnovers: Cleveland was reckless with the ball Sunday night. They committed 19 turnovers, which led to 25 Warrior points. Evan Mobley was the biggest culprit with five turnovers. You can’t turn the ball over against one of the best teams in basketball and expect to win.
Rebounding: The Warriors outrebounded Cleveland 54-42, including 22 offensive rebounds. In addition, Golden State had 22 second-chance points. Again, you can’t give a team like the Warriors extra possessions and extra opportunities and expect to win.
Third Quarter: After taking a 51-46 lead at the break, Golden State outscored the Cavs 28-14 in the third. The Warriors led 66-55 midway through the third, and they went on a 13-0 run to take their largest lead of 24 points. Cleveland struggled with shotmaking as they shot 40% from the floor, including 1/5 from deep in the quarter.
Darius Garland: Garland is undoubtedly playing like an All-Star, but he came up short on the big stage. He shot 3/12 from the floor and finished with nine points, two rebounds, and four assists; he also had four turnovers.
Bottom Line:
The moment seemed too big for the young Cavaliers. That was a playoff atmosphere Sunday night, and the Cavs were not ready for the moment. However, Cleveland will learn from this game.
The goal for this team is to make the playoffs, and they will experience these types of environments come playoff time.
“I’m going to take it one step further; it felt like a Finals game,” Allen said after a reporter asked him if it felt like a playoff atmosphere. “I mean, everything that the Warriors did, they got a big cheer from the crowd, but that is to be expected when you come to the Chase Center. They have great fans here, and they are going to make the game intense. We kinda looked at the moment, and we kinda – J.B.(Bickerstaff) said in the locker room that we shied away from it – and I think that is true. We didn’t play to who we are; we kinda played timidly.”
What’s Next:
Cleveland gets right back at it Monday night as they travel to Sacramento to play the Kings. The Cavs will play five games in seven days
Best of the Rest:
-Steph Curry had a game-high 28 points for the Warriors, including 4/11 from downtown.
-Jarrett Allen added 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks; Mobley chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds for Cleveland.
