Feb 26 vs Warriors

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Wrap-Up – The Wine and Gold’s Thursday night matchup with the Warriors was supposed to be a heavyweight battle between the best team in the West and the hottest club in the East. But the red-hot Cavaliers turned it into another second-half TKO – taking a double-digit lead early in the third and running away with the 110-99 win before an electrified sellout crowd at The Q.

In a battle between MVP candidates – LeBron James and Stephen Curry – the Cavaliers’ superstar took that matchup too, going off for a season-high 42 points on 15-for-25 shooting to go with a game-high 11 boards, five assists, three steals and a blocked shot. Before and after Thursday’s contest, No. 23 refused to say it was a statement game. He let his and his squad’s performance say it for him.

Kyrie Irving followed up with 24 points, going 6-of-17 from the floor and a perfect 10-of-10 from the stripe, adding three boards and a pair of steals. Irving finished the game, but took a shot on his left shoulder that kept him from traveling to Indiana with the team on Thursday night. He’ll be re-evaluated on Friday morning, but is listed as doubtful for Cleveland's matchup with the Pacers.

Kevin Love continued his hot shooting from beyond the arc on Thursday, following up his scorching night in Motown by going 3-of-5 from long-distance against Golden State, netting 16 points and eight boards.

Timofey Mozgov turned in his 16th double-double of the season – and seventh as a Cavalier – tallying 10 points and 10 boards. And Tristan Thompson – the league’s top-rebounding reserve – came off Cleveland’s bench to add 12 points and eight boards in 22 minutes of action.

The Cavaliers improved to a league-best 28-1 when they top 102 points, but it was their defense that might have been most impressive on Thursday – restricting a team that came in averaging 106.5 points per game on the road under the century mark – thanks to a concerted effort to hold the Splash Brothers to a combined 10-for-30 shooting. Curry, who finished with just 18 points, came into the contest having topped the 20-point plateau in a dozen straight games. And Klay Thompson, who dropped 39 points on the Pacers two games ago, was held to 13 on Thursday.

Statistically, the Warriors topped Cleveland in the paint, in second-chance scoring and on the break. They handed out 32 assists to the Cavaliers’ 15. But the Wine and Gold’s gameplan was to drive downhill into Golden State’s defense, and that’s exactly what they did – making 35 trips to the stripe compared to the Warriors’ 19. (Cleveland also hit on 83 percent of those free throws; Golden State, 53 percent.)

Watch final game highlights from Thursday's victory.

Turning Point – The first quarter was as advertised – a high-octane shootout with both squads lighting up the scoreboard and Golden State finishing the period up, 33-32. But after shooting an even 50 percent in the first quarter, the Warriors shot 44 percent in the second. In the third, the Cavs began to really clamp down, holding Steve Kerr’s squad to just 35 percent.

Unfortunately for Steve Kerr’s club, Cleveland’s four-time MVP – who’d already amassed 24 points before intermission – was still smoking. And with the Warriors’ trailing by just four early in the third, James proceeded to score nine points of a 12-0 Cavaliers’ run to give the Wine and Gold a 16-point edge.

Cleveland took a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter and Golden State cut it under double-digits just twice the rest of the way.

By the Numbers – 10 … straight games that the Cavaliers have now won over Western Conference foes – their longest stretch since winning 11 straight in the 2008-09 campaign.  The victory was also Cleveland’s 11th straight at The Q – where they’ve outscored opponents by an average of 14.8 points per game.

Quotable – Kevin Love, when asked by Cavaliers’ in-arena host Amhaad Crump what he thought of LeBron James’ performance on Thursday …

Up Next – The Cavaliers first home stop after the All-Star Break was fun, but brief. After topping the Warriors, the Wine and Gold get right back on the road, heading back to Indiana where they’ll take on a hot Pacers squad that snapped their 12-game win streak earlier this month. From there, it’s down to Houston to take on James Harden and the Rockets on Sunday afternoon at the Toyota Center. The Cavs return home (again, briefly) for a Tuesday night matchup with Boston at The Q before getting back on the road for a pair of huge Eastern Conference matchups – at Toronto on Wednesday and Atlanta on Friday.

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Cavs Make Golden Statement at The Q

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Cavaliers Guard Kyrie Irving experienced a left shoulder injury during Thursday's game against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. He will not travel with the team tonight to Indianapolis and will receive additional examination, including an MRI, at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health Friday morning. He is listed as Doubtful for the Cavaliers game against the Pacers Friday night and his status will be updated as appropriate.

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Cavaliers Status Update - Kyrie Irving - Feb. 27

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(On if LeBron made a case for himself as a MVP candidate after his 42-point performance tonight): "I’ve been saying that for weeks. Obviously, he was just fabulous tonight."

(On Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith): "J.R. Smith played 36 minutes tonight and Iman Shumpert played 31 minutes. Between the two of them, they had four points. The Splash Brothers (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) were 10 for 30 from the field. That’s why (Shumpert and Smith) were on the court and that’s why we’re winning because of that selfless attitude and the willingness to do what it takes to help the team win which is what is important.”

(On if J.R. Smith’s play has been surprising): “I have been saying since the very beginning that I don’t know what all was being said about him before, I don’t know where it comes from and it wasn’t my business. All I can tell you is from day one, that guy has been a dream and has helped us to get on the right path and stay on the winning track because of the way he plays both ends of the court."

(On giving up 33 points in the first quarter and not more than 23 in any other quarter): "Well, they’re a first quarter and a third quarter team, scoring-wise. Those are their best scoring quarters. They’re a hard team to guard. That’s the bottom line. We came to play. We weren’t laxed and we weren’t lackadaisical. They’re just a great, great scoring team and they defend you at the other end. We had the same mentality but we just were more successful in the last three quarters. Sometimes it’s not always what you do. Sometimes it’s what the other guy does. They played great offense in the first quarter and they scored it the way they’re used to scoring it. But from that point forward, our defense really, really picked up and we held the highest scoring team in the NBA at 110 points per game to 99. That speaks volumes to how we did defensively overall."

(On what it means to beat the best team in the league record-wise): “It’s big for us. It was a test and we answered the call. We were all locked in. I was a little surprised at the assists tonight, but everyone was making shots, including LeBron. Everybody was making plays on both ends of the floor for one night.”

(On his mindset for the game tonight): “I was challenged by my coaches this morning. They wanted me to play a little more in the post tonight and be aggressive. I just try to do what I need to do to help our team win. I was happy I was able to make a few plays to help us do that.”

(On the team’s defensive effort): “It’s been our staple as of late. We understand that no matter what you do offensively, if you don’t defend at a high level, you’re not going to give yourself a chance to win…and we defended. They’re one of the top offenses in our league and we played at a high level for 48 minutes.”

(On the MVP discussion): “That’s not about me. For me, I have to be the MVP for these 14 guys in this locker room. When I’m out on the floor, I try to do everything to help us win – offensively, defensively, whatever the case may be. Wherever I end up at the end of the season, that’s where it’s at.”

(On being out on the court early pregame): “I just wanted to try to get into a rhythm, see the ball go through the rim. And it did. I didn’t miss many shots in the pregame warm up. I was just locked in from the time I got to the arena all the way until the end of the game.”

On how it feels to win): “It feels good. We felt like against Detroit that we were a little lax in the first half, and starting off the third quarter. So we wanted to play 48 solid minutes and tonight we felt like the energy and intensity was there.”

(On defending Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry): “Just forcing them into tough shots. They’re a tough match up anytime you go up against two caliber guards like they have. They’re not going to have many nights like that. We were fortunate enough to play good defense, and as I mentioned, force them into tough shots. We were fortunate they missed.”

(On tonight’s game): “We fought hard. We competed. We just we didn’t play our best. When you play one of the best teams in the league on their home floor and LeBron (James) goes nuts like he did, you’ve got to be at your best. We had moments where it looked like we were going to be right there. We had a couple of careless turnovers and missed free throws. Things didn’t quite fall our way, but that was mostly our fault. This is what happens in the NBA.”

(On whether tonight’s loss brought to light any issues with his team): “This is the league. You’re not going to win every game. We’re coming in to play the hottest team in the league on their home floor. The best player on the planet from the last five years has a huge night on us. It’s going to be tough to win. Part of the league is (that) you play well one night and maybe you struggle the next, but you just keep moving forward.”

(On tonight’s game): “That was a tough game. We had to play our best with the shots that LeBron was hitting most of the night. So we hold our heads high. We played hard and had some careless turnovers, but for the most part I think we executed well. Shots didn’t fall, but when he does what he did tonight you’ve got to be perfect, especially on the road. We didn’t have it.”

(On whether there is anything you can do to stop LeBron on a night like tonight): “You just try to make him take tough shots. Half of them were, and he was just knocking them down. You could see it from the beginning of the game that his mission was to try to be aggressive. He wasn’t really looking to pass it. He was just get to the rack and look for a shot. He got a rhythm early, which just kind of snowballed into the game he had. He’s obviously done great things for a long time. This was just a tough game for us.”

(On the MVP conversation): “Well I hope it’s not based on this game. If I’m playing one-on-one against him (LeBron) and you look at tonight, then I lost obviously. It’s about a body of work. It’s about what your team is doing. It’s about just being consistent over the course of the season, and that’s my job. You’re obviously going to have off nights. You can put the spotlight on whatever you want to. But for the most part, my job is to go out and play hard every single night to try to help my team win.”

(On whether there is anything you can do to stop LeBron on a night like tonight): “No. We played great defense on him. I think a couple of times early we didn’t step over to help on the post-ups, but I think HB (Harrison Barnes) did a great job. Andre (Iguodala) did a tremendous job. But once he gets going…that’s why he’s arguably probably the best player in the world. Once he gets going, it’s tough to stop him, especially when he’s hitting those contested jump shots and step-back jump shots. Those are the shots we want him taking, so when he’s getting them, it’s tough to stop.”

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Game Quotes: Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors – Feb. 26

Listen to Radio Play-by-Play announcer John Michael's Call of the Game during the Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors game on February 26, 2015. Tristan Thompson finishes the two-handed slam off the alley-oop from Kyrie Irving.

Escucha a la voz en español de los Cavaliers Rafa "El Alcalde" con la narración de la jugada del partido entre Los Cavaliers de Cleveland y Los Warriors de Golden State en el Quicken Loans Arena de Cleveland, OH  el 26 de Febrero del 2015.  Los Cavs derrotaron a Los Warriors 110-99 liderados por Lebron James que consiguió su Doble-Doble número 17 de la temporada y tuvo su mejor noche anotadora de la temporada con 42 puntos que vinieron en esta canasta que selló la victoria de Los Cavs.

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Call of the Game: Cavs vs. Golden State Warriors - Feb. 26

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Five Keys: Cavaliers vs. Warriors - Feb. 26, 2015

After a perfect 3-0 road trip, the Cleveland Cavaliers return to Quicken Loans Arena tonight to square off with the Western Conference-leading Golden State Warriors for the final time this season. Tipoff is at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Cleveland (36-22) has won nine straight games over Western Conference opponents, their longest since an 11-game streak over the West from Nov. 3, 2008 - Jan. 16, 2009.

The Cavs are an NBA-best 17-2 (.895) since Jan. 15. Over that stretch, the Cavs rank 1st in points per game differential (+12.3), 1st in field goal percentage (.477), 1st in three-pointers made (215), 3rd in points per game (108.3) and 5th in three-point percentage (.373). Defensively since that time, the Wine and Gold are 3rd in opp. field goal percentage (.419), 3rd in opp. three-point percentage (.318) and 8th in opp. ppg (95.9).

The Wine and Gold have won a season-high 10 straight games at Quicken Loans Arena, winning by an average of 15.2 points (108.6-93.4). It is their longest home streak since an 11-game home winning streak from Feb. 23-Apr. 6, 2010. At The Q this season, the Cavs are a perfect 17-0 when scoring at least 100 points, a perfect 11-0 when shooting .500 or better from the field, a perfect 12-0 when shooting .400 or better from behind the arc and a perfect 5-0 when dishing out at least 30 assists.

Golden State (44-10) opened a season-high six-game road trip with Sunday's 104-98 loss to the Indiana Pacers before bouncing back to beat the Wizrads, 114-107, two nights later in Washington.

The Warriors are 24-2 at home, but they've allowed 104.7 points per game in splitting their last 14 on the road.

All-Star point guard, Stephen Curry, has scored at least 20 in 12 consecutive games, and is averaging 28.1 in the last 10 contests. Curry is averaging 26.3 and 9.7 assists over a three-game stretch against Cleveland.

WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega, AM 1590 WAKR (Akron)

Get into the conversation with other die-hards.

Probable Starters/Status Update*presented by Cleveland Clinic

Status Update: Anderson Varejao, (Left Achilles Tendon Rupture, Out), Shawn Marion, (Left Hip Strain, Out)

Warriors: PG - Stephen Curry, SG - Klay Thompson, SF - Harrison Barnes PF - Draymond Green, C - Andrew Bogut

Status Update: (Warriors) - None to Report

In the two teams' most recent matchup on Jan. 9, J.R. Smith made his first start as a Cavalier and finished with a game-high 27 points, five rebounds and a steal in 42 minutes. Smith also made a season-high 11 field goals.

Kyrie Irving had a strong all-around game with 23 points, six rebounds, five assists and a game-high three steals in 41 minutes.

Kevin Love notched his four straight double-double (20th of the season) with 17 points on 6-11 (.545) shooting and a game-high 14 rebounds in 38 minutes of work.

The Wine and Gold trail the all-time series against the Warriors 50-54 (32-21 Home, 18-33 Road).

TV: FOX Sports Ohio, TNT, Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega, AM 1590 WAKR (Akron)

Tune into #CavsLive on FOX Sports Ohio starting at 7:30 p.m.

For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike, @chones22, @FSOAllieOop and @ElalcaldeRafa on Twitter.

Programming Note: Tonight, FOX Sports Ohio is airing the Blue Jackets – Canadiens game (7:00 p.m.) and the Cavs – Warriors game (8:00 p.m.). More Info | View Conflict Schedule

Theme: Black Heritage Celebration Culmination - More Info

After tonight's game, the Wine and Gold will travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers on Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET.

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GameDay Preview: Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors

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