In a disappointing loss at home on Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers with a final score of 118-110. The defeat mirrored their previous loss to the Cavaliers in Cleveland, highlighting the challenges the Warriors faced in countering their opponent’s size and defensive prowess.
Despite a remarkable 30-point performance from Steph Curry, the Warriors struggled to generate enough offense to match Cleveland’s dominant play.
The Cavaliers asserted their dominance in the paint, outscoring the Warriors 50-34 and capitalizing on Golden State’s 20 turnovers with 32 points in transition. Apart from Curry, no other Warriors player provided sufficient offensive contribution to keep pace with the Cavaliers. Jonathan Kuminga’s 12 points, Andrew Wiggins’ 13 points, and Klay Thompson’s 14 points reflected an offense that struggled to find open looks against the long and athletic frontcourt of the Cavs, featuring Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
The momentum of the game shifted in the third quarter when Draymond Green was called for a second technical foul and subsequently ejected from the game. The altercation between Green and Donovan Mitchell occurred when Mitchell pushed Green as he brought the ball up the court. After a review, the referees deemed Green’s push against Mitchell after stealing the ball to be a technical foul.
The ejection of Green altered the dynamics of the second half and posed additional challenges for the Warriors. The team will need to regroup and address their offensive struggles as they face a two-game series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, followed by matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets.