Simple math will tell you that six isn't the same as 16, but for the Golden State Warriors, it could be in time.
The Warriors continued their winning ways on Friday, taking down the new-look (and LeBron James-less) Cleveland Cavaliers 112-94 for their sixth consecutive victory (by an average of 17.8 points) since a bad back-to-back stint in L.A. The result also extended Golden State's streak of home success to 14 games, just one shy of the franchise record set a quarter century ago.
For what might as well be the umpteenth time in recent history, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson took care of their share of the scoring load with a combined 47 points. Thompson poured in 20 of his 24 points in the first half before missing a stretch of the second while getting his forehead stitched up in the locker room.As usual, the Splash Brothers had plenty of help from the rest of Golden State's stacked roster. Four other Warriors scored in double figures, including Justin Holiday, who accounted for 14 points off the pine.
The Cavs—with J.R. Smith starting, Timofey Mozgov serving among the reserves and James watching in dapper dress—were plenty plucky, at least on the offensive end. Smith, who was held scoreless in his Cleveland debut, tallied a game-high 27 points. Mozgov came close to conjuring a double-double in his first action as a Cavalier.
Meanwhile, the imbalance between Cleveland's incumbent stars continued. Kevin Love needed only 11 shots to pile up his 17 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Kyrie Irving, on the other hand, tallied as many tries (23) as points.
Defensively, though, the Cavs struggled to keep up with the Dubs' fast-paced attack. Cleveland used a 7-0 run early in the third quarter to take what would be their only lead of the second half. Naturally, Golden State responded with an 11-0 spurt, highlighted by a brilliant full-court lob from Draymond Green (10 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, one steal) to Harrison Barnes (11 points, two boards, two assists).The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns served a reminder that basketball is, indeed, a game of runs. They traded double-digit leads between the second and third quarters and swapped small advantages in the fourth before San Antonio created just enough separation to score a 100-95 win.
With Tony Parker still working his way back from injury, Kawhi Leonard on the shelf and Manu Ginobili succumbing to back spasms, the Spurs turned to Danny Green, Cory Joseph and Patty Mills for perimeter support. That trio combined for 46 points, including 31 of the 41 points San Antonio logged during its fourth-quarter offensive flurry.
As the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald noted during the game, the winner would've wound up in seventh place in the West:
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2325236-warriors-building-another-winning-streak-and-other-friday-nba-takeaways
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