Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs length was too much for the Dubs to overcome.
The Golden State Warriors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night 115-104. It was the Warriors first road loss of the season, and dropped the team to 5-2 on the young season. The Dubs are now 1.5 games back of the Nuggets for the top spot in the Western Conference standings.
Golden State’s bench has done some heavy lifting early this season, but it was the Splash Brothers and Draymond Green who kept the Cavs from securing a blowout win before the end of the first half. The Cavaliers length stymied the Warriors offensive attack all night, and held every player (other than Steph Curry) to a below-average shooting night.
Curry led the Warriors with 28 points, making seven of his 11 field-goal attempts from three. Granted, Steph still had his struggles against Cleveland’s talented defense, committing six turnovers and converting only one shot inside the arc.
Still, the Warriors did not let Cleveland’s length keep them from attacking the basket. While Golden State’s shooting percentage was abysmal (35.8% for the game), they stayed in the game by consistently drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line. The Warriors attempted 30 free-throws on Sunday, although they only made 20.
In the second half, rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis and third-year wing Jonathan Kuminga both provided some sparks off the bench. Jackson-Davis was a Warriors high +8 in just over 11 minutes of action and is making a strong case to be a more consistent part of head coach Steve Kerr’s rotation.
The Warriors kept the Cavs from pulling away for the first three quarters, and pulled within five and six points at several times in the fourth. However, Golden State was unable to put together that extra run to tie things up or take a lead. Instead, Cavs’ All-Star guards Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell always seemed to come through with a big play to kill the Warriors momentum.
The Dubs road trip continues tomorrow night, when they will play the Detroit Pistons on the second half of a back-to-back. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 PM Pacific.
