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The visiting locker room at the ‘Quick may not have smelled of champagne but the aroma of spicy and tangy North Carolina style BBQ chicken emanated from the court to the stands, through the rafters and even to the concessions.
In his third game back, Stephen Curry cooked the Cavaliers’ defense for 42 points on 11-for-20 shooting and 9-for-14 from deep. Kevin Durant chipped in with 25 points and was an asset away from a triple double on the night, as the Warriors rolled to a 129-105 victory over Cleveland.
For a while, the Cavs showed some heart and pride. What stood out to me was despite the fact that the Warriors went on a 22-6 run in the third, the Warriors had a four point lead. On the other hand, the fact that the Warriors clinged to a four point lead shouldn’t be a surprise because of moments of not taking care of the basketball and the fact that the defense was lacking.
But as expected, the Warriors relied on the strength of their all stars.
Steph Curry has a 42-8-7 in Cleveland tonight. Kevin Durant has a 25-10-7. The past two games, they've scored a combined 125 points on 66 shots.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 6, 2018
Again, Curry and Durant scored 125 combined points on only 66 shots. Before Curry’s injury, the talk was about he and Durant averaging 30 plus points per game each and going 50/40/90. If they keep this up, the possibility will inch closer to reality.
In addition to the brilliance of Curry and Durant, the Warriors got some quality production from Kevon Looney and Jonas Jerebko. Granted, Looney may have had eight points on the night, but he was impactful regardless. He snagged six rebounds very active in screen setting, and just picked up where he left off in the Hawks game in terms of aggression.
Jerebko continues to prove that he is a solid contributor on a bench that lacks depth and scoring power. He poured in 11 points on a perfect 4/4 from the field. He finished the game with a plus 25.
Despite a sloppy stretch, the Warriors in general took solid care of the ball, only committing eight turnovers, and the weaknesses of points in the paint and bench points weren’t all that bad. The Cavs only outscored the Warriors 44-38, and 39-35 on bench points.
All in all, not a bad effort.
The Warriors are now on a two game win streak heading into Milwaukee against a Bucks team that had their way with the Warriors a few weeks ago in Oracle. The Warriors look to avenge that loss Friday at 9:30 on ESPN.