Donovan Mitchell had 31 points and seven assists and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Golden State 115-104 on Sunday night, ending a 16-game losing streak against the Warriors.
Darius Garland added 24 points and seven assists, Evan Mobley had 13 points and 16 rebounds and Max Strus scored 15 points for Cleveland, which had lost its first three home games.
The Cavaliers beat Golden State for the first time since December 25, 2016, after 12 regular season losses and four playoff losses.
“It’s a hell of a feeling,” Mitchell said. “I know it’s a rivalry, so I know how much this one meant to the fans. We’ve been trying to get to the level they’ve been at for a long time and we put together a complete game tonight.
Stephen Curry scored 28 points and made seven of 11 3-pointers, and Draymond Green had 18 points and eight assists for the Warriors. Golden State never got closer than five points in the second half and lost for the first time on the road.
The Warriors were 4-0 in road games – matching the second-best start in franchise history – and had won five in a row overall. Klay Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga each scored 15 points.
“We didn’t play with the strength we needed to win this game,” Thompson said as he folded the box of sheet music into a paper airplane. “We definitely need to rebound the ball better. You can’t give this team that many second chance points.
Golden State and Cleveland faced each other in four straight NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018. The Cavaliers’ only championship came in 2016, when they recovered from a 3–1 series deficit and won the seventh game on the road.
The teams will finish the two-game series Saturday night in San Francisco.
“I love coming back here,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who also played for Cleveland. “Of course you think about the four consecutive trips to the finals. It was a very historic time for us, for them and for the NBA. »
FOLLOWING
Warriors: At Detroit Monday night.
Cavaliers: At Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.
___
APNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
