What we learned as Warriors’ win streak ends in blowout loss to Cavs

What we learned as Warriors’ win streak ends in blowout loss to Cavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX SCORE

The Warriors’ exuberant stroll through the NBA was interrupted Friday night by a public mugging in downtown Cleveland.

They took a 136-117 beatdown under a volley of Cavaliers buckets that served as a stinging rebuttal to Golden State’s rousing triumph over the defending champion Celtics two nights earlier in Boston.

For this was a “statement game” of a different kind, as it rudely informed the Warriors there will be certain matchups – certainly this one – that will be problematic despite the depth on their roster.

The Warriors (7-2) gained a measure of respect in the second half, summoning grit and outscoring the Cavs, 75-53, but there was far too much mountain to complete the climb against the league’s only undefeated (10-0) team.

Jonathan Kuminga scored 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including an encouraging 3 of 7 from distance. Stephen Curry managed only 12 points, playing only 24 minutes, a mere eight in the second half.

Here are three takeaways from a game that will give Golden State’s coaches and players plenty to evaluate before heading to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Sunday:

Blitzed From The Jump

Cleveland scored 13 seconds into the game, and the Warriors responded 27 seconds later with a bucket of their own, pulling even at 2-2. That was the last tie of the game.

More than four minutes passed before Golden State got another point, while the Cavaliers were piling up 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, with a couple free throws, to take a 20-2 lead with 7:33 left in the first quarter.

And it only got uglier. Cleveland followed its 39-point first quarter with a 44-point second quarter, taking an 83-42 lead at the half.

What happened? The Cavaliers’ barrage amounted to an avalanche of buckets through the most accommodating defense the Warriors have played this season. There were numerous breakdowns that led to easy buckets, slow closeouts on shooters and another component that had little to do with their defense.

Another factor was the offense reverting to bad…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/learned-warriors-win-streak-ends-031511425.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-11-09 03:15:00

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