The Warriors got back on the winning track, securing a 132-98 road victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
GAME LEADERS
Any remnants of Saturday’s loss in Detroit were quickly dissipated in Cleveland, as the Warriors secured a commanding 132-98 road victory in their final regular-season matchup with the Cavaliers on Monday, January 18. The Dubs’ balanced scoring effort in this NBA Finals rematch was led by Stephen Curry with 35 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Draymond Green notched his fifteenth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 assists to go along with seven rebounds. Andre Iguodala matched his season-high with 20 points, while going four-of-five from three-point land.
The squad’s momentum was immediately set in the first quarter with a beautiful lob from Stephen Curry to Andrew Bogut, which was followed by a deep three from Curry in the first three possessions of the matchup. The Warriors opened on a 12-2 run in the first two minutes, nailing each of their first five shots. In one of his five dimes during the first quarter, Draymond Green found Festus Ezeli for an alley-oop that extended the Dubs' lead to 23-13 with 3:49 remaining, and by the end of the quarter, the Warriors shot 61.9% from the field while holding Cleveland to 50%. The frame was capped with eight consecutive points from Curry, which included two (very deep) splashes.
Dunks from Andre Iguodala seemed to be the theme of the second quarter, as his first commanding hammer from Barbosa opened the second frame and extended the Warriors’ lead to 38-23. His second slam came three minutes later with an assist by Curry, and the reigning NBA Finals MVP’s third and final dunk came by a lob from a Shaun Livingston steal that pushed the team’s lead to 20 points. The Warriors’ shooting dominance continued in the first half, as they shot 68.6% to Cleveland’s 45.7%. Shooting wasn’t the only challenge for the Cavaliers though, as they also ran into foul trouble early, as Tristan Thompson tallied his fourth personal foul just two minutes before the halftime buzzer. The combination of the two Cavaliers’ woes translated to 70 Warriors points over Cleveland's 44, the most scored by an opposing team at the half against the Cavaliers this season. The Dubs also tallied 27 points from three-point range in the first half, hitting 10-of-17 from behind-the-arc, while the Cavaliers hit a mere one-of-four.
Klay Thompson opened the third frame with four quick points, extending the Warriors' lead to 74-44. The Cavaliers continued to battle foul trouble, as a flagrant two foul called on J.R. Smith after knocking Harrison Barnes to the ground was quickly followed by Timofey Mozgov earning his fourth personal foul with 9:16 remaining in the third. Meanwhile, the Dubs continued their domination of the matchup, as Green found Curry for a reverse lay-in, marking 29 points for the reigning MVP. Another Curry three from way downtown sealed a game-high 40-point lead for the Warriors, just before Matthew Dellavedova responded with a three of his own to end the quarter at 104-67.
Andre Iguodala nailed his third and fourth threes of the night within the first minute and a half of the final frame, matching his season-high of 20 points and giving the Dubs a 112-69 advantage. Despite the large lead, Iman Shumpert and Dellavedova continued hammering away at Cleveland’s deficit, collectively scoring 11 points in five minutes. Their effort proved too little, too late, however, as the Warriors’ strong pace throughout the game kept them out of the Cavaliers’ reach. The Dubs scored 13 more points on their way to securing a 132-98 win over their NBA Finals rivals.
With this win, the Warriors got back on the winning track and move to 38-4 on the season. Up next, the Dubs will play the third and final game of their road trip in Chicago on Wednesday at 5:00PM, before returning home to host the Indiana Pacers on Friday.