In the wake of Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis (16 points, 16 rebounds), Golden State's defense dominates the start of the match, and allows the pair Andrew Wiggins – Dennis Schroder (12 points) to take a mini break (20-13). Despite six turnovers from the Cavs, two winning shots from Darius Garland (25 points, 7 assists) revived them. A move to the 2-3 zone also slows down the Warriors' attack and allows Cleveland to get back on track (27-26).
The two teams then exchanged blunders with ten missed shots in a row and six lost balls during the first four minutes of the second quarter. It took two winning shots from Ty Jerome (10 points) to launch a 20-9 for the Cavs which gave them an eight-point lead at halftime (46-38).
Cleveland continues its momentum and knocks out the Warriors in the first four minutes of the second half. Behind four 3-pointers from Donovan Mitchell (23 points) and a collective 6/6, the Cavs passed a 20-5 at Golden State to take a 23-point lead (66-43)!
The gap reaches 25 units but the efforts of the trio Jonathan Kuminga (18 points, 10 rebounds) – Stephen Curry (11 points, 4/14 on shots) – Moses Moody (19 points) manage to give a slight hope to Golden State to start the last quarter (83-68). Cleveland, however, does not release the pressure. Max Struss, Sam Merill and Dean Wade all hit from afar and the Cavs are heading towards a seventh straight victory to end the year 2024.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– The Warriors’ catastrophic second quarter. Dominant in the first quarter, the Warriors performed poorly in the second quarter. They actually missed 20 of their 24 shots, including a poor 1/6 at the rim! Obviously the long segments of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen had a lot to do with it, but Golden State also had some success. The Cavs didn't do much better (8/22) but the 16 points from the Garland – Jerome duo allowed them to make the difference to take control of the match.
– Donovan Mitchell’s fireworks. Author of only 6 points on 3/9 shots including 0/3 from three points in the first half, the Cavs star caught fire as soon as he returned from the locker room. He made 3/3 from distance in 70 seconds, 4/4 after four minutes, to finally end the third quarter with 15 points at 5/7 from three points. Donovan Mitchell's skill added to Cleveland's iron defense, which limited Golden State to 8/32 on shots in the period, to put the Warriors' head under water.
– The Warriors’ offense still can’t do it. Even though the Cavs have been marching on the NBA since the start of the season, their defense has exacerbated Golden State's offensive problems. If the ball carrier is harassed and the rim is protected, the Warriors' game is going nowhere. That was the case tonight. With Cleveland's defense focused on Stephen Curry (4/14 on shots), no one was able to take over. Jonathan Kuminga certainly scored 18 points but was 4/15 on shots. Dennis Schroder continues his journey since his arrival (4/11 on shots). And as in the first match in Cleveland, the pair Draymond Green – Trayce Jackson Davis (7/24 on shots) was once again dominated by the size of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
