Cavaliers vs. Warriors 2017 live updates: Relive Golden State’s 126-91 MLK Day beatdown
The Warriors blew a 14-point lead in their Christmas Day NBA Finals rematch. They made sure not to blow a huge lead this time.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Fourth quarter
Warriors 126, Cavaliers 91 (Final): So much for a competitive rematch. After blowing a 14-point lead in losing on Christmas (not to mention a 3-1 lead you may have heard about last June), the Warriors jumped on the Cavaliers early and never let up in a blowout victory. Golden State played like a team desperate for a win, while the Cavaliers looked like a club on the end of a long West coast road trip.
There were many standouts, but Draymond Green deserves the first mention. He only took six shots and still controlled the game with 11 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, and five blocks. The early flagrant foul he committed on LeBron James seemed to wake Green up.
Stephen Curry scored 20 and notched 11 assists, clearing himself from Cleveland’s tight defensive clutches. Klay Thompson had 24, while Kevin Durant added 21. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving shot a combined 12-37 from the field.
These teams will not play again this regular season, but most expect a third straight Finals rematch in June. For the Warriors, this victory was necessary to regain momentum. For the Cavaliers, this loss will be a mere footnote in the NBA’s best rivalry.
Third quarter
Warriors 95, Cavaliers 71 (End 3rd): The Warriors let their foot off the gas, surrendering a 13-0 run that cut a 36-point lead to 23. The Warriors did blow a 24-point lead to Memphis earlier this year, but this one still feels pretty safe.
Warriors 93, Cavaliers 58 (4:36 left): As if the Cavaliers didn’t need more problems, LeBron James suddenly can’t score on Kevin Durant.
Durant also forced a James travel on a fast break and swatted a Tristan Thompson layup. James is now 4-15 from the field, a far cry from his dominating ways in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Warriors 84, Cavaliers 49 (10:42 left): From bad to worse for the Cavs:
With the game already out of hand, better safe than sorry.
Second quarter
Warriors 78, Cavaliers 49 (Halftime): OK, Warriors. We see you. We get it.
Needing to respond after four straight losses to Cleveland, the Warriors have done just that. They ended the half on a 22-7 run punctuated by a thunderous Kevin Durant fast-break dunk ...
... And this Stephen Curry buzzer-beating 3.
The Warriors are shooting 62 percent from the field and have 34 fast-break points. Durant has 19, Curry has 14 and 10 assists, and Draymond Green has eight points, eight rebounds, and four blocks.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are giving their vaunted Steph Rules defense a night off:
Sorry, Ty Lue:
Warriors 65, Cavaliers 46 (3:10 left): For a second, it looked like Cleveland was getting the game back to their grind-it-out pace, but that quickly faded. A spry Andre Iguodala has 10 points, including a couple great defensive plays on LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry looks just fine.
Curry has just eight points, but he’s tossed in nine assists so far. The Warriors continue to get him more pick-and-roll touches, which has neutralized Cleveland’s defensive strategy.
Warriors 52, Cavaliers 35 (6:55 left): WE HAVE ACTION.
LeBron James raced ahead on a fast break, and guess who met him? Yup, Draymond Green. A little skirmish ensued and Green earned a Flagrant 1 foul. He was none too thrilled with James’ hard fall.
Warriors 48, Cavaliers 26 (9:22 left): This isn’t getting any better for Cleveland. The Warriors are forcing isolations on one end, then getting out and running on the other. The Warriors already have 19 fast-break points in less than 15 minutes. This is quickly turning into a rout.
That’ll make this fan happy.
First quarter
Warriors 36, Cavaliers 22 (End): The downpour continues. JaVale McGee gave the Warriors life when he checked in for Zaza Pachulia, and the Warriors kept running circles around the Cavaliers’ defense. Steph Curry punctuated the quarter with a trademark pull-up 3 for his eighth point of the quarter, and he could have scored more if he didn’t miss two wide-open looks.
The Warriors have put the ball in his hands more, which was my first suggested antidote to the Cavs’ Steph Rules defense.
Warriors 24, Cavaliers 14 (3:57 left): On one end, the Warriors are finally starting to hit wide-open 3s. On the other, Kyle Korver forgot that LeBron James bestowed the ultra green light on him.
Warriors 9, Cavaliers 4 (7:20 left): This could be even worse for the Cavs. Cleveland opened with some odd defensive matchups and watched as the Warriors raced up the court for tons of open looks. Luckily for Cleveland, the Warriors have started cold, with Stephen Curry missing two wide-open threes and Klay Thompson bricking one.
Pregame
A Kyrie Irving fadeaway jump shot over Klay Thompson’s outstretched arms completed a 14-point comeback that gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a 109-108 Christmas Day win over the Golden State Warriors. It added to the sour remnants of the Dubs’ blown 3-1 series lead in last year’s NBA Finals.
Now, the Warriors have a chance at redemption at home, but it won’t be easy. The rematch will take place at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.
Cleveland added one of the league’s premier three-point shooters, Kyle Korver, in a deal that sent just Mike Dunleavy, Jr. and a 2019 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks. And though the Cavaliers once considered resting Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love for their Warriors’ matchup, the stage is set for a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day showdown for the ages.
Cleveland enters its Finals rematch atop the Eastern Conference with a 29-10 record, though the Cavaliers are 2-2 since acquiring Korver and 1-2 in games he’s played in so far.
Golden State is riding sky-high after landing former league Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant in free agency. The Warriors are a league-best 34-6 and have won eight of their last 10 games.
Durant now leads Golden State in scoring (26.0 points per game), rebounding (8.6) and blocked shots (1.7), while shooting a career-best field goal percentage (.537). But there are palpable issues with the Warriors’ “Death Lineup,” and it’s evident Stephen Curry and his new co-star are still working their way through chemistry class.
Pregame reading:
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