var $ = jQuery.noConflict();
var gameID = '0021700646', seasonYear = '2017', statsCat = 'pts', //will default to pts, other possible categories: reb ast blk statspack, gameCode;
$(document).ready(function(){ loadrecapdata(gameID,seasonYear,statsCat);
//The 1st variable is the game ID for the specific game //the 2nd variable is the year for the feed, this is the YYYY in which the season starts. IE for the 2017-18 season the year variable needs to be 2017
});
Wrap-Up -- The Wine & Gold were one quarter away from snapping their mid-season funk with a signature win. But one quarter against the World Champs can be a humbling experience – and that was the case on Monday night in Cleveland.
Trailing by just a deuce after three, the Cavs went cold in the fourth – netting just 17 points on 6-for-23 shooting – as the Warriors pulled away for the 118-108 win in a highly-anticipated MLK Day matchup at The Q.
After struggling through a recent road stretch, Tyronn Lue’s squad looked sharp to open the affair – notching 37 points in the first period and taking a seven-point edge into intermission. But Golden State started heating up in the second stanza, piling up 36 points in the third quarter and outscoring Cleveland by eight in the fourth.
LeBron James notched 16 of his team-high 32 points in the first quarter – going 12-of-18 from the floor and 8-of-13 from the stripe on the night, adding eight boards, a team-high six assists, three steals and four blocked shots.
Isaiah Thomas followed up with 19 points – logging a season-high 32 minutes, going 8-of-21 from the floor, including 1-of-7 from deep, to go with four assists in the loss.
Kevin Love rounded out the starters in double-figures, finishing with 17 points and seven boards – going 3-of-5 from long-range, 5-of-9 from the floor overall, adding seven boards, three assists, a pair of steals and a blocked shot.
Dwyane Wade added 10 points on 5-for-14 shooting, adding seven boards, five assists and a steal. But as they did on Christmas Day in Oakland, the Warriors completely bogged down Cleveland’s improved bench – holding the second unit to a combined 25 points on 11-for-31 shooting.
Kevin Durant did most of the damage for Golden State – leading the Dubs with 32 points of his own, going 9-for-16 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from long-distance and a perfect 10-of-10 from the stripe. The future Hall-of-Famer added eight assists, five boards, three steals and a block.
LBJ, KLove and I.T. combine for 68 points but it's not enough against the Warriors.
On the night, the Cavaliers shot 46 percent from the floor compared to 48 percent for Golden State. The Wine & Gold were efficient down low – topping the Warriors, 62-46, in the paint. But the Cavs’ outside shot wasn’t falling again on Monday night – going just 7-for-28 from beyond the arc, their third straight contest of single-digit treys after canning at least 10 in 26 straight games earlier this season.
Turning Point -- Up until the final two minutes of the third quarter, the Warriors didn’t lead by any more than a single point before opening up a six-point lead with 1:23 to play in the period. But that all changed midway through the fourth.
Isaiah Thomas tied the game 14 seconds into the final quarter, but Cleveland’s defense conked out from there – with the Cavs missing 14 of their first 16 shots as Golden State went on a 12-2 run that put them up double-digits – 105-95 – and in the driver’s seat the rest of the way.
Cleveland would get no closer than nine over the final five minutes.
By the Numbers – 10,000 … career points that Jeff Green has now scored – breaking four figures with a monstrous dunk with just under a minute to play in the third quarter.
Quotable – LeBron James, on Monday’s loss to Golden State …
”We just want to continue to get better. Even with the loss tonight, I feel like we got a little bit better, and we want try to continue that.”
Up Next -- After Monday night’s loss at The Q, the Wine & Gold remain on the North Coast as their three-game homestand continues on Thursday night when they welcome the Orlando Magic – who stung the Cavs here earlier this season. On Saturday afternoon, it’s another Western Conference marquee matchup when Russell Westbrook, Paul George and the Thunder roll into Cleveland. Tyronn Lue’s squad hits the road for a tough one after that – traveling to San Antonio for a Tuesday night battle with the Spurs.