Lou Williams scores career-high 50, Clippers beat Warriors

By JANIE McCAULEY
Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Lou Williams sent the same roaring, adoring crowd that cheered Kevin Durant's milestone to the exits several minutes before the final buzzer.

Durant was brilliant, and Williams even better.

Williams scored 27 of his career-high 50 points in the third quarter and the undermanned Los Angeles Clippers beat the Golden State Warriors for the first time in more than three years with a 125-106 win Wednesday that spoiled a milestone night for Durant.

Williams shot 16 for 27 with a career-best eight 3-pointers and made all 10 of his free throws.

"He ordered 50-piece nuggets on us tonight," Durant quipped. "Lou got it going."

Durant became the 44th player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points, finishing with 40 as the Warriors had their five-game winning streak snapped along with a 12-game unbeaten stretch in the Clippers rivalry.

Durant reached the milestone on a pull-up jumper from the left wing at the 1:41 mark of the second quarter. The Warriors announced his accomplishment on the main scoreboard and Durant received a standing ovation, shaking his head in acknowledgment while still very much in game mode.

By late in the fourth quarter, that crowd was making its way for the exits with the game out of reach.

The NBA Finals MVP returned from a three-game absence due to a strained right calf and scored 25 points in the first half against the Clippers - KD's biggest half of the season and the exact number he needed for 20,000.

Durant, who had a four-point play during the second quarter on the way to 14 points in the period, is at 29 the second-youngest player behind LeBron James and first to reach the 20,000 mark as a member of the Warriors.

He shot 14 for 18, including 6 of 7 from deep, and Zaza Pachulia added 12 points on a night when the Warriors were without their starting backcourt. Stephen Curry re-sprained his right ankle during the morning shootaround, and Klay Thompson also was out for rest that had been previously scheduled.

"Our spirit wasn't right, our energy wasn't right. We weren't connected and they were," Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. "The Clippers came in here probably insulted we were resting Klay, and obviously Steph goes down and so the game changes."

Williams also dished out seven assists and rookie Tyrone Wallace added a season-best 22 points off the bench for the Clippers while returning to the Bay Area, where he starred in college at California.

"Obviously 50 is a huge number. It's a great accomplishment," Williams said. "For me, it was more important to get a win, try to close that gap to get back to .500, especially with the injuries, with guys in and out of the lineup, for us to still have that opportunity, to be in the playoff fold. So, I've been playing with confidence for the past month or so now."

Nick Young started in place of Thompson and had seven points but shot 3 for 11 and missed six of his seven 3-point tries. It was Young's first start with the Warriors. Shaun Livingston played in place of Curry and contributed eight points and four assists.

Draymond Green missed his first five shots before connecting late in the third.

"We still have two All-Stars. It's an embarrassment of riches," Kerr said of Durant and Green. "I'm not going to shy away from that."

There were 13 lead changes in the first quarter alone. Golden State went on a 10-0 run midway through the second during which Durant scored eight points.

CURRY'S ANKLE

Curry has the same injury that recently sidelined him for 11 games, though Kerr said: "I don't think it's serious. ... He tweaked it." No MRI or X-rays were scheduled for now, though Curry was sore and the Warriors won't take any chances.

"I didn't see anything," Kerr said before the game. "We just had a normal shootaround and he was in his usual game-day routine with Q (Bruce Fraser) and he just rolled his ankle somehow. Just kind of a fluke thing, kind of caught us off guard, but obviously he won't play. ... It's unfortunate. Hopefully it'll clear up in the next couple days."

The Warriors are 10-2 without Curry.

TIP-INS

Clippers: Los Angeles hadn't beaten the Warriors since Christmas Day 2014. The Clippers also had lost 11 straight on Golden State's home floor since a 105-86 win on Dec. 25, 2011.

Warriors: Durant had his seventh 30-point game this season. ... Thompson had played in all 41 games this season. ... C JaVale McGee played for only the second time in five games as Kerr struggles to use all his players in a deep, talented rotation. ... Young earned his 194th career start as Golden State used a 14th different starting lineup this season - matching the team's total from last season.

UP NEXT

Clippers: At Sacramento on Thursday, looking for a fourth straight win in the series.

Warriors: At Milwaukee on Friday to begin a five-game road trip featuring tough stops at Cleveland and Houston.

Durant delivers on both ends, Warriors beat Cavaliers 99-92

By JANIE McCAULEY
Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) LeBron James drove to the basket in the waning seconds and Kevin Durant swatted away any chance Cleveland had at a Christmas Day comeback.

Durant pumped his fist again and again, emphatically shook his head and pounded his chest in delight. It looked a lot like the dominant Durant from the NBA Finals six months ago.

Klay Thompson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:33 left, Durant delivered on both ends of the floor, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Cavaliers 99-92 on Monday in a festive holiday rematch of the past three Finals.

"There's just so much joy in the arena today because it's Christmas and we all feed off of that," Durant said.

Durant's block against a driving James with 24.5 seconds left went out of bounds off James, who said he thought he was fouled on the play. Durant finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots.

"He's one of the leaders in shot blocks a game and obviously he had five tonight, so he's been doing a heck of a job of first of all taking the individual matchup and protecting the rim, too," James said.

Kevin Love had 31 points and a season-best 18 rebounds, while James contributed 20 points, six rebounds and six assists in a rivalry missing one key piece: Warriors star Stephen Curry, who missed his eighth straight game with a sprained right ankle.

Thompson scored 24 points and Draymond Green had a triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. It was Golden State's 12th win in 13 games after its 11-game winning streak was snapped by Denver on Saturday night.

Warriors rookie Jordan Bell traveled with 2:13 left and James tied it. Bell made up for that mistake with a key offensive rebound and pass to Thompson for his fourth 3.

James' 3-pointer with 10:39 left pulled Cleveland within one, but Green answered with a 3 and Andre Iguodala scored two of his nine points the next time down. In another key sequence, Durant blocked Tristan Thompson's shot with 6:23 to go and dunked moments later.

No surprise, the up-tempo, running rivals provided high entertainment once again. The Warriors last June captured a second championship in three years against James and the Cavaliers.

"I forgot all about it," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said with a chuckle.

The teams will see each other again soon, playing Jan. 15 in Cleveland.

KD requested James for his defensive assignment, to which he explained simply, "I just like guarding my position."

The Cavs, having won six of seven and playing for the first time since Thursday, had their run of scoring at least 100 points end at 26 games.

The Warriors were at nearly full strength again aside from Curry, who could return this week once he goes through some scrimmages at practice.

Center Zaza Pachulia was available but didn't play after sitting out seven consecutive games, while Shaun Livingston came back after missing four games with a sore right knee.

Bell - who addressed the sellout crowd at midcourt moments before tipoff - started at center and had eight points and six rebounds.

SHOOTING WOES

The Cavs' 31.8-percent shooting was the lowest by a Warriors opponent in nearly four years, since Charlotte shot 31.2 percent from the field on Feb. 4, 2014.

"We just didn't make shots," Lue said.

A REAL RIVALRY

Sure, this one felt a little strange without Curry or Kyrie Irving, now in Boston.

"Golden State-Cavaliers, that's a big game, no matter who's playing, who's out," Lue said.

"It will be weird, without Steph, without Ky, especially the battles we've had over the last three years. So both teams look different."

Warriors coach Steve Kerr knows just the uniforms are enough to get everybody going - and this marked the third straight Christmas matchup between the franchises, alternating home floors based on who won the title.

"It's always great to play the Cavs, they're an awesome team," Kerr said. "LeBron is so amazing and it's so fun to feel the energy in the building when the two teams get together. Neither team will look the same as we will even a month from now because Steph and Isaiah Thomas both should be back, hopefully they'll both be back. ... But it doesn't even matter sometimes, just the two uniforms in the same building gets people going."

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: Lue isn't yet ready to guess when Thomas will return following his right hip injury. "He is progressing very well," Lue said. "The most important thing is that he is getting to practice and playing 5-on-5 and having a chance to experience feeling well after it and not having soreness." ... Cleveland is 19-3 since Nov. 11, including 8-3 on the road.

Warriors: Durant averaged 32 points over his seven previous Christmas Day games. ... Golden State played its fifth consecutive Christmas game and seventh in eight. ... The Warriors were 10 of 37 on 3s after they went a dismal 3 for 27 from 3-point range in losing to the Nuggets. ... Kerr began his pregame session by thanking all of the arena staff and Golden State employees for their service and for working on the holiday. ... Thompson's holiday sneakers might have stood out most: neon green on the left foot, neon pink on the right.

UP NEXT

Cavaliers: Visit Kings on Wednesday as they play the middle contest of a three-game West trip.

Warriors: Host Utah on Wednesday.

Curry hurt in Warriors' rally past Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS -- The good news for the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors is that they managed to overcome a 21-point deficit on Monday night and posted a gritty 125-115 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The sobering news is that in the midst of a hockey-style second half in which Golden State forward Kevin Durant and Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins earned ejections for getting in each other's face, Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who scored a team-high 31 points, badly sprained his right ankle diving for a loose ball with a minute to go and had to leave the Smoothie King Center on crutches.

Although X-rays taken after the game were negative, Curry has hurt the same ankle before, and he said this one, by comparison, is no bargain.

"I sprained my ankle and I'll see how it feels tomorrow and kind of go from there," said Curry, who had the foot in a gray walking boot. "Obviously, it's the second situation, but ... this is more on the concerned side. I shouldn't say that. It's more on the 'I won't just bounce back tomorrow morning and waking up like, all right I should be (fine),' just because of the swelling.

"I know I've been through this before on this ankle, and knowing the surgical repairs from like five or six years ago are fine, I should be able to bounce back."

While coach Steve Kerr was proud of the Warriors' 76-46 second half -- which erased a 69-49 halftime deficit -- he said his team has to show more composure. The Warriors have had a player ejected in each of the last three games. Durant also was ejected in a victory over Orlando last Friday, and guard Shaun Livingston was thrown out for arguing an official's non-call in a won over Miami on Sunday.

"It's absolutely too much," Kerr said. "We're not composed out there. We're a championship team. We've got to be poised and we've got to execute. We're getting way too emotional, myself included. We've got to show some poise when things aren't going our way and stop worrying about everything else and just worry about the game."

The Warriors (19-6) trailed by as many as 21 points late in the second quarter and by 20 at halftime, but they rallied to beat the Pelicans for the 20th time in their last 21 meetings. They are now 4-0 on a six-game road trip and 11-3 overall away from home.

The tussle between Durant and Cousins came with 74 seconds left and the game essentially decided, with Golden State leading 118-110. Durant and Cousins bumped into each other and Cousins shoved back with his arm and then walked away. Both players were yelling at each other and had to be separated before being ejected.

Durant, who scored 19 points but shot just 8-of-21 from the floor and 1-of-5 for long range, blamed himself for getting too emotional. He said the histrionics have gone too far.

"Yeah, yeah, early in the game, we got a couple of techs just arguing with the refs," Durant said. "I think that took us out of the game, so we've got to just stay poised in those situations. I can't let anybody -- I can't get involved with that type of stuff. I've just got to stay locked in and stay focused on the game.

"I'm not going to fight nobody. I don't want to get injured. I don't want to get suspended. I love to play. I love making money for my family, so I'm not trying to get suspended."

New Orleans (12-12) was led by Jrue Holiday's season-high 34 points and a career-high 27 points by guard E'Twaun Moore.

New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry, a former Warriors assistant, said he knew the Warriors would make a run despite being down by 20 points.

"They're a great team, they're the NBA champs," Gentry said. "The thing that I keep telling our guys is that, as bad as this loss is -- and I don't look at anything as a moral victory -- what we keep proving is that we have the ability to play extended minutes with the world champs. Now what we have to do as a team is that we have to now find a way to not do it for 32 minutes or 36 minutes, but we've got to do it for48, because that's the only way you can beat that team. You've got to play for 48 minutes and you've got to be able to score 120 points to beat them."

NOTES: Pelicans F Anthony Davis says he is still experiencing sharp pain from a left adductor strain and missed his second consecutive game. But New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry said the good news the injury he suffered in a road game against Utah is not more serious. "The fact that's he's day-to-day is great," Gentry said. "We'll just work him out and rehab him and see where he is. Hopefully, it will be sooner more than later, but we're still not going to take any chances." ... Warriors C Zaza Pachulia did not play because of a sore left shoulder. ... Golden State coach Steve Kerr called the one-game suspension of G Shaun Livingston and the one-week suspension of referee Courtney Kirkland was fair for their roles in a head-butting incident Sunday in the Warriors' 123-95 road victory over Miami. "I thought the league handled it well," Kerr said. "I think it was the right decision, and we move on. ... It seemed pretty obvious that there was some contact, and both the official and the player were part of it and they are both being reprimanded."

Kevin Durant, Warriors overcome shooting woes to beat Heat

By JANIE McCAULEY
Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Shots were contested, and so many missed the target.

The Golden State Warriors had to get defensive and grind out a win — and coach Steve Kerr appreciated that kind of push for the defending NBA champs.

Kevin Durant had 21 points and eight rebounds to help the Warriors overcome their shooting woes and beat the Miami Heat 97-80 in a rare low-scoring outing Monday night.

“It’s a good feeling to know if we focus on taking care of the basketball and playing solid defense and focus in on that end really hopefully regardless of how our offense is we’re going to be in good position to win games,” Stephen Curry said. “Tonight was kind of a testament to that.”

Draymond Green scored 18 points with a season-high four 3s to go with nine rebounds as the defending NBA champions won for the seventh time in their last eight games, including three straight in lopsided fashion on their recent road trip.

The Warriors had scored 100 points in every regular-season game since their second-to-last matchup last season, a 105-99 defeat to Utah as the regulars rested or played limited minutes ahead of the playoffs. Golden State is 3-11 over the past three seasons when held below 100 points.

“I thought it was our best defensive effort of the year,” Kerr said. “It was a grind-it-out game and I thought we did a good job of staying with it. We held them to 80 points. That’s kind of a playoff style win where you have to grind it out, nothing’s easy.”

Curry added 16 points and Klay Thompson 13. The Warriors shot just 36.8 percent and 11 for 32 from deep. Durant added six assists and three blocks, making all 10 of his free throws as the Warriors shot 22 of 24 from the line.

“I just feel that’s East Coast basketball. If we want to be a great team we’ve got to play different ways,” Durant said. “It’s a good test for us.”

James Johnson scored 21 points off the bench and Goran Dragic contributed 19 points for Miami a night after squeaking out a 104-101 road win against the Clippers.

Thompson missed his first four 3-point tries before connecting late in the first half as Golden State took a 50-37 lead into intermission. Curry was 1 for 9 in the first half and Durant 3 for 8 — and they went a combined 0 for 7 from deep — before Golden State got going a bit after halftime.

Curry was hit with a technical at the 3:20 mark of the first quarter for an elbow to Tyler Johnson while the Golden State star drove to the basket.

Both teams were cold shooting in the early going — Golden State 29.2 percent in the first quarter to 38.1 by Miami, which committed seven of its 23 turnovers in the period.

WHITESIDE’S MINUTES

Heat center Hassan Whiteside played just 16-plus minutes, shooting 1 of 9 for three points and six rebounds and sat most of the second half.

“This is one game, he understands how important he is to our team to play at a high level, high energy level, so we’ll move on to Phoenix and look to have a much better game,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.

KERR ON GUN CONTROL

Shootings touch Kerr personally. His father, Malcolm, was murdered on Jan. 18, 1984, as the President of American University of Beirut.

Kerr offered condolences and thoughts to victims of the Texas church shooting that killed 26 — not to mention a strong message on gun control.

“It’s just awful, and that’s the prevailing sentiment from all of us today,” Kerr said. “To solve it, I think we almost have to look at it like a public health issue. Too often, I think we get caught up in political rhetoric, Second Amendment rights, NRA stuff. We have to look at this it has nothing to do with partisanship or political parties.

“This has got to be a public safety issue, a public health issue. We have to somehow get our government to cut through all the crap and get right to the point — the point of fact which is safety, which means a lot of things we can do without taking away people’s Second Amendment rights. Let’s do the sensible thing.”

TIP-INS

Heat: Spoelstra received a technical for arguing late in the first half. ... Miami lost its fourth straight on the Warriors’ home floor. ... Starting G Dion Waiters is still away from the team after he returned to Miami for the birth of his daughter Sunday morning.

Warriors: C David West had a night off for rest. “It’s a routine we’re going to follow all year,” Kerr said of spelling West, Andre Iguodala and other veterans as needed. ... Warriors great Al Attles is expected back at Oracle on Wednesday night, one day after his 81st birthday. Attles was hospitalized and missed a night honoring him Oct. 27. ... Golden State has 10 or more 3s in all 11 games so far — something the team did 14 consecutive times last season.

UP NEXT

Heat: At Phoenix on Wednesday night.

Warriors: Host Minnesota on Wednesday night.

___

More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/tags/NBAbasketball

Thompson, Durant lead Warriors past injury-riddled Spurs

By RAUL DOMINGUEZ
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are already thinking about Golden State’s postseason possibilities.

The Warriors’ slow start could be a byproduct of that early daydreaming.

Klay Thompson scored 27 points, Durant had 24 and the Warriors overcame a lethargic first half to beat injury-riddled San Antonio 112-92 on Thursday night, handing the Spurs their fourth straight loss.

Curry added 21 points for Golden State in its first meeting against San Antonio since sweeping the Western Conference finals en route to the NBA title.

“Me and (Durant) were talking about it on the bench tonight,” Curry said. “It is tough to still be Nov. 1st or 2nd and be looking forward to April, May, June. But having gone through the experience last year and three years ago and understanding what it takes to win a championship, it’s kind of cliche, but every game you can learn a little bit something about yourself and continue to build great habits to get there.”

One lesson is staying focused against the Spurs, even as the five-time champions face their own struggles.

San Antonio played without Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, as they did in the conference finals. Unlike those blowout victories, the Warriors struggled to close out the Spurs.

“We might as well start every game here down 20,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “Other than the playoffs last year, that will be four or five straight games where that happened. You have to be able to match the Spurs’ intensity, especially because they’re such a good rebounding team.”

The Warriors took their first lead two minutes into the third quarter at 60-57 on Durant’s 3-pointer.

Durant missed his first eight shots and the Spurs made six 3-pointers in the first quarter in bolting to an early double-digit lead.

Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 10 rebounds, continuing his resurgent season.

“LaMarcus was magnificent,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s been magnificent every game. His perseverance his hustle, his focus has been off the charts. He’s done a great job.”

Kyle Anderson added 16 points in place of Leonard, who has not played this season while suffering from an injured right quadriceps.

San Antonio led 31-12 lead after Golden State went scoreless for 4 1/2 minutes midway through the opening period.

Golden State slowly cut into the lead behind its defense. After shooting 48 percent in the first quarter, the Spurs were held to 33 percent in the second quarter. San Antonio was 1 for 5 on 3-pointers and 7 for 21 overall in the second quarter.

“Our focus (sparked the rally), especially on the defensive end, and not fouling,” Thompson said. “Those two things are great because when we do that, we are able to get out in transition and get easy buckets. Our focus on that side of the ball was really good.”

Thompson finished 11 for 17 from the field, including 5 for 8 on 3-pointers.

The Spurs finished 7 for 24 on 3-pointers, failing to make a 3 in the second half after draining six in the opening quarter.

“We contested shots, we rebounded and we got out in transition,” Durant said.

Zaza Pachulia, making his first appearance in San Antonio since Leonard was lost after landing on the center’s foot in Game 1, was heavily booed throughout the game.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Golden State has made at least 10 3-pointers in each of its games this season. The Warriors were 14 for 28 on 3s against the Spurs. ... Thompson has a 3-pointer in 63 straight games, the league’s longest active streak. ... Durant has scored at least 20 points in all but one of the team’s nine games this season. ... JaVale McGee played in his 500th career game. ... Golden State closes out a three-game trip in Denver.

Spurs: Leonard and Parker have played a combined three quarters against the Warriors in the last five games, including the postseason. ... Parker missed the entire conference finals with a ruptured quadriceps tendon and Leonard aggravated an ankle injury in the third quarter of the opening game. ... Mills made his 600th career 3-pointer, 551 of which have come with the Spurs. ... San Antonio is 62-19 at home against Golden State. . Brandon Paul is the first Spurs rookie to play over 105 minutes in his first eight games since Kawhi Leonard did so in 2011.

FAKE NEWS

Popovich told TNT that Leonard could return in three weeks after missing the entire preseason and the first eight games of the regular season due to a right quadriceps injury.

When asked if that was true, Pop demurred.

“You can’t trust the media,” Popovich said, chuckling. “Come on.”

BLOCK PARTY

Golden State had 11 blocked shots, including an emphatic block by Thompson on Aldridge.

The block led to an animated celebration by Thompson, followed by an ensuing turnover.

“It felt great, until I turned it over and got pulled out,” Thompson said. “That is karma for you. But it felt really good.”

NO WAY

Popovich was ejected with 4:47 remaining in the game after complaining Patrick McCaw was not called traveling minutes after Aldridge was assessed a traveling violation.

UP NEXT

Warriors: Visit Denver on Saturday night trying to end a two-game skid against the Nuggets.

Spurs: Host Charlotte on Friday night in the second of a six-game homestand.

Warriors blow past Clippers, 141-113, by Curry’s 31 points

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors had looked a tad vulnerable to start the new season.

They had a 4-3 record and blew a 14-point second half lead at home to the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

One day later, the team played more like the defending champions, using a stifling defense to blow out the Los Angeles Clippers 141-113. It was Golden State’s 11th consecutive win over Los Angeles.

“That looked like us,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

The Warriors got a terrific all-around game from Curry, who scored 31 points, hit seven of his 11 3-point attempts and added six assists and five rebounds.

The Clippers (4-2) were the last team in the NBA to lose a game, but dropped their second straight despite 19 points from Danilo Gallinari and 17 from Lou Williams.

The last time the Clippers defeated the Warriors was Christmas Day in 2014.

“I don’t think they get enough credit defensively. It’s amazing,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers. “Whenever we talk about Golden State, we only talk about their offense. And I think their defense is what sets them apart.”

Though the Clippers try to run their offense through Blake Griffin, the power forward was quickly doubled whenever he touched the ball down low and struggled to get his shot off.

He finished with 16 points on four of 10 shooting.

“They came pretty early,” Griffin said. “Some teams wait for the first dribble, some teams wait until you have a foot outside the lane. They doubled pretty early and pretty consistently throughout the game.”

The Warriors had 37 assists on the night to 12 turnovers. They outrebounded Los Angeles 46-35 and outshot them, if only 89-86.

“Our whole thing is, if we get more field goal attempts than our opponent, there’s a chance we’re going to win,” Kerr said. “But we haven’t been doing that. We came in averaging nine fewer attempts.”

In addition to Curry, the Warriors got 19 points and seven rebounds from Kevin Durant, 16 points and nine rebounds from Draymond Green and 15 points and six assists from Klay Thompson.

“Our defensive effort really got us to where we wanted to be,” Curry said. “The coach gave us a challenge before the game to just try and win the possession and field-goal game. Throughout the course of the game, that was the key. We played Warriors basketball and now we have to sustain it.”

TIP-INS

Warriors: Kerr said he supported Green after his forward was fined $25,000 for his part in a skirmish with Bullets guard Bradley Beal on Friday: “He got attacked. I didn’t agree with his punishment but all you can do as a team is accept it.”

Clippers: Had entered game holding opponents to a league-low 92.4 points per game and a 40.4 field goal percentage shooting (second). Rivers said the superb early defense starts with having DeAndre Jordan at center, but new starting guards Patrick Beverley and Austin Rivers have been tough on the perimeter: “Defensively, that combination has been really good.”

WARRIORS DEFENSE

On Monday, however, it was the Golden State defense that dominated. While the Warriors were shooting 58.4 percent from the field, they were holding the Clippers to 45.3 percent.

“Defensively, they had a field day,” Rivers said.

“They got to every loose ball in the first half. They got to every offensive rebound, and every time they got one, they made a three. They’re so unselfish.”

UP NEXT

Warriors: Stay on the road Thursday when the travel to San Antonio to meet the Spurs.

Clippers: Scheduled to host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.

Warriors handed second loss at home, fall 115-107 to Pistons

By JANIE McCAULEY
Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry believes the Warriors are close to being their old, dominant selves again, even if so much seems to be going wrong so far.

One night, it’s offensive rebounds surrendered. Another, it’s turnovers. Or, an all-out foul fest.

The defending champions are showing some serious flaws — and coach Steve Kerr is calling out his team to be far more composed.

Curry and Golden State got handed a second home defeat at this early stage of the season, falling 115-107 to the Pistons on Sunday night as Avery Bradley scored 23 points for Detroit.

“It just has to matter enough. Right now it just doesn’t seem to matter. Our guys are lacking in energy and focus and discipline,” Kerr said. “We finally started caring with six minutes left when we were threatened and we immediately cut it to three because we cared. But the right team won, karma was in the right place tonight.”

Tobias Harris hit a 3-pointer with 1:27 remaining that all but sealed it after Kevin Durant fueled a late Warriors rally.

Durant hit consecutive 3-pointers to get Golden State back within 101-94 then dunked the next time down to make it 103-96 with 4:40 to go before finding Thompson for a 3 on the next possession.

Durant’s dunk at 2:12 made it 108-105. Curry had a steal and drive with 1:51 left but couldn’t convert, then missed a 3 as Golden State kept possession. Durant missed from deep the next time down.

The Warriors lost only twice total at Oracle Arena in both their 2015 championship year and again in the 73-win season that followed, then just five times at home on the way to another title last season.

“We’re really close to being ourselves,” Curry said. “For the most part those little things are keeping us from really opening up the gates in games like tonight where we had a pretty comfortable lead in the third quarter.”

Klay Thompson scored 29 points and became the 11th player in franchise history to eclipse 9,000 career points. Durant wound up with 28 points and Curry 27.

Stanley Johnson’s dunk with 6:56 left put the Pistons up 98-88.

“When our intensity and energy rises on defense I think we’re a pretty good team,” Johnson said.

Golden State looked efficient again initially, passing well and making better decisions, but it was sloppy down the stretch. The Warriors shot 57.1 percent with 29 assists and were at a 63.5-percent clip midway through the third quarter before allowing the Pistons back in the game.

Reggie Jackson scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half and Bradley made five 3-pointers for the Pistons, who impressed on the second night of a SoCal-NorCal back-to-back.

Detroit beat the Clippers 95-87 on Saturday to hand Los Angeles its first defeat and leaving no more undefeated NBA teams.

With 11 blocks, Golden State has gone seven straight games with at least seven blocks.

THOMPSON’S PLEDGE

Thompson is donating $69,000 to Northern California fire victims and relief efforts from the devastating wildfires in the North Bay.

He pledged $1,000 through “Points With Purpose” for each point he scored during this three-game homestand.

“I love that he’s doing that on his own,” Kerr said. “It shows how much he cares, it shows how much he’s matured over the years. This was something he came up with. He’s gone for it.”

GREEN FINED

Green was fined $25,000 for his actions in a fight with Washington’s Bradley Beal on Friday night that led to both players being ejected. Beal received a $50,000 fine. Also, Wizards F Kelly Oubre Jr. was fined $15,000 for entering the altercation.

“I’m still watching that video over again trying to figure out what I did wrong,” Green said.

With 19.5 seconds left in the second quarter, Beal held the front of Green’s jersey with his left hand while grabbing Green around the jaw with his right. That enraged Green, and they became entangled with arms around each other. It was Green’s second technical of the game.

“A little confused. I don’t know how you get fined 25 grand for being attacked. It seemed like maybe there’s some prior reputation involved,” Kerr said. “There’s some curious stuff in there. It looked to me like Oubre came out there running into the crowd and caused a lot more. Draymond, he was the one who was attacked in the first place. So it seems like maybe those fines could have been reversed.”

TIP-INS

Pistons: Detroit rallied from 14 down — 68-54 midway through the third — to go ahead by 13 then held off a Warriors flurry. ... The Pistons shot 12 for 27 from 3-point range and made all 17 of their free throws. ... They snapped a seven-game losing streak on Golden State’s home floor.

Warriors: Curry hit a career-best 54 straight free throws dating to his final two last season — 52 in a row to begin this season when he missed a technical shot in the third. “It was a good run,” he said. ... The Warriors had gone two straight games with 17 turnovers before finishing with 25 Sunday.

UP NEXT

Pistons: At the Lakers on Tuesday night.

Warriors: At the Clippers on Monday night in their second back-to-back of the season already.

Curry, Durant hit key 3s late, Warriors hold off Raptors

By JANIE McCAULEY
Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The defending NBA champions are working to rediscover their defense. Not to mention their basic rebounding fundamentals of boxing out and ability to avoid silly fouls.

They barely beat the scrappy Raptors to avoid an 0-2 home start.

“Our defense has been horrible,” Draymond Green said.

Stephen Curry hit a go-ahead 3-pointer from the top with 31.9 seconds left on the way to 30 points, and the sloppy Warriors held off Toronto 117-112 on Wednesday night.

Kevin Durant’s 3-pointer with 1:02 remaining tied the game at 112, then he found Curry for the 3 that made the difference.

“A 4-year-old up in the stands probably could have seen that we should have been boxing out,” Durant said of the 17 offensive rebounds surrendered. “... We don’t want to build bad habits and Coach is doing a good job of correcting us when we make mistakes.”

Durant finished with 29 points on 11-for-20 shooting, Klay Thompson scored 22 points with four 3-pointers, and Curry capitalized with a huge second half.

DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points. He drove through the paint for a dunk with 3:53 to play then hit a key jumper a minute later to put Toronto in position after Curry, Durant and Thompson each missed key 3s down the stretch.

Green had 15 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals but also six of Golden State’s 17 turnovers.

Jakob Poeltl had 11 of his 14 rebounds on the offensive glass.

“It’s a focus thing,” Green said.

Curry scored 13 of his points in the third quarter and the defending champions avoided falling to 0-2 at home after losing their opener to Houston on Oct. 17. He made an off-balance layup with 1:28 to go then Golden State made a stop on the other end before Durant’s big 3.

“We had ourselves in a great position and we made some key mental mistakes that cost us,” DeRozan said. “Nothing went our way, everything went their way in that last minute.”

Pascal Siakam scored 20 points as Toronto lost its 13th in a row at Golden State and seventh straight in the series. Serge Ibaka added 15 points and Kyle Lowry 14 points and nine assists.

Thompson had two 3s and Durant another from downtown during a 9-0 run late in the second quarter and Thompson another in the waning seconds that put Golden State up 61-53 at the break.

BELL’S BACKBOARD DUNK

Rookie Jordan Bell’s dunk that featured a toss to himself off the backboard Saturday at Memphis drew some debate.

Coach Steve Kerr spoke to the first-year forward out of Oregon, whose play had Curry and Durant’s jaws dropping.

“I told him after it happened, I said be ready for them to retaliate. He had a bewildered look on his face. I think the issue is you’ve got old-school people, players on our own team, like Shaun Livingston, David West,” Kerr said. “The young guys are like, ‘Man, that was cool.’ I’m sort of in the middle, I never want to embarrass our opponent.”

LGBT PRIDE NIGHT

Kerr made a heartfelt message about loving and accepting your neighbor as the Warriors hosted LGBT Pride Night. Warriors President and COO Rick Welts was the first openly gay NBA executive.

Kerr’s remarks:

“There’s never been a more important time in our country to respect the person next to you, regardless of race, creed, color, sexual preference, sexual identity. I’m really encouraged by my kids’ experience here in California growing up, just in terms of acceptance. It seems like the young generation is learning more and more about we all just are who we are. We’re all individuals. What makes our country great is our diversity. The fact that we can respect each other and work together and embrace each other, I think it’s an important night for us. We want to welcome everybody from the LGBTQ community. Maybe, if you’re coming to the game tonight and your child says, ‘What does that mean?’ explain it to them. Explain to them the importance of loving the person next to you, respecting them, no matter who they are, where they come from. They’re human beings, we’re all human beings. We’re all in this together.”

TIP-INS

Raptors: DeRozan has never won on the Warriors home floor (0-7). ... Jonas Valanciunas missed his second straight game and Lucas Nogueira also sat out, each with sprained left ankles.

Warriors: C JaVale McGee was a healthy inactive based on matchups. ... Thompson has hit a 3 in 59 straight games, the NBA’s longest active streak. ... Kerr spent the morning film session on cutting down fouls — and Golden State had just 15. “We have a number of issues that we’re concerned about but that’s No. 1. That’s by far at the top of the list because the domino effect of fouling is dramatic,” he said.

UP NEXT

Raptors: Visit the Lakers on Friday, continuing a season-long six-game road trip.

Warriors: Host Washington on Friday.

Everything’s cool: Warriors pull away from Mavs, 133-103

By SCHUYLER DIXON
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — Stephen Curry swished a floating one-hander and went to the floor after some contact, looking for a call that wasn’t coming.

This time, the Golden State star smiled and ran the other way.

Curry scored 29 points, Kevin Durant added 25 and the Warriors pulled away from the winless Dallas Mavericks in the second half of a 133-103 victory on Monday night.

Klay Thompson had 21 points as the defending champs got back to .500 four games into the season, two nights after losing their cool late in a loss at Memphis.

Curry was at the center of it, getting fined $50,000 for throwing his mouthpiece on a non-call in the final minute against the Grizzlies. There wasn’t much reason to get worked up this time, even after an 18-point lead early in the second quarter was cut to one before halftime.

Golden State never trailed in its seventh straight win in the series.

“I actually kind of liked that we struggled there for a while because we were making the same mistakes, turnovers, not talking on defense and not boxing out,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s good that we responded and turned it around in the second half.”

Curry made all five of his shots inside the 3-point line while going 2 of 10 beyond the arc. The most damage was at the line in his third straight game with at least 10 attempts. The two-time MVP was 13 of 13 and has made all 39 free throws this season.

“Been trying to finish at the rim, had people close out real hard on 3-point attempts,” Curry said. “Rest of it’s just being in the right place at the right time and trying to put pressure on the defense, whether it’s with my shooting and spacing ability or driving to the lane.”

Thompson had consecutive 3-pointers to cap a 15-2 run that turned a two-point lead into an 83-68 advantage in the third quarter, sending Dallas to its second straight 0-4 start. The Mavericks lost a franchise-worst five straight to start last season.

Wesley Matthews scored 19 points for the Mavericks. Harrison Barnes had 13 points against his former team, matching J.J. Barea and Yogi Ferrell. Rookie Dennis Smith Jr. had 10 points after missing two games with left knee swelling.

“We can’t put ourselves in the hole,” Smith said. “We bounced back into halftime we almost tied it. That was just effort. We’ve got to come out that way.”

Durant was 9 of 15 from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc as the Warriors shot 56 percent.

The Mavericks trailed 42-24 early in the second quarter before Matthews made all four shots, including a pair of 3-pointers , in a 10-point quarter. Dallas was twice within a point but never had a chance to take the lead.

Curry hit two free throws for a three-point halftime lead, then made one before play started in the second half when the Mavericks were called for delay of game.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Curry became the eighth player to reach 20,000 career minutes for Golden State in the first quarter. ... The Warriors improved to 34-7 after a loss under Kerr. ... Curry and Draymond Green had eight assists apiece. Green scored 10 points with seven rebounds.

Mavericks: Curry’s younger brother, Mavericks G Seth Curry, has missed all four games with a stress reaction in his lower left leg. Coach Rick Carlisle ruled him out this week. ... G Devin Harris missed his third straight game since his older brother, Bruce Harris, was killed in a car wreck in Dallas last week.

TOO MUCH SHOW

With the game out of hand in the final minutes, Golden State rookie Jordan Bell was free on a breakaway and bounced the ball off the backboard before dunking it. Kerr told Carlisle after the game that he said something to Bell about not showing up an opponent. “That was a bit much, but it was just a rookie being a little excited there I guess. That’s on us,” said 39-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, in his 20th season with the Mavericks.

TAMPERING?

In the spirit of Curry’s fine, Kerr recalled the time he was fined as Phoenix’s general manager when LeBron James was a free agent before going to Miami in 2010. He was asked on a radio show if the Suns would sign James. “I laughed and I said, ‘Yeah, if he’ll take the minimum. We don’t have any cap room.’ Ten grand, wrote a check the next day. They didn’t like humor I guess. Tampering. And LeBron was close too. I really think he might have come there for minimum. It just didn’t work out.”

UP NEXT

Warriors: Home against Toronto on Wednesday.

Mavericks: Home against Memphis on Wednesday.

Rockets rally to spoil defending champion Warriors return

By JANIE McCAULEY
Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Confetti began to fall and the Golden State Warriors thought they had pulled off a wild opening-night win.

The Houston Rockets emphatically signaled otherwise — insisting that Kevin Durant’s baseline jumper had swished through the net after the buzzer.

After one official got hurt, two remaining referees reviewed the play and ruled the Rockets had escaped with a 122-121 victory Tuesday on the night the Warriors received their championship rings.

“I thought it had a chance but I knew it was a little late. I knew I was cutting it close,” Durant said. “Tough loss. First game of 82, we’ve definitely got to move on. We’ve got to get better.”

The Warriors got the ball for one final chance with 10.6 seconds left and Durant came up with the ball after Stephen Curry had missed.

“I didn’t think it counted,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “When I saw it, it looked to me like it was a little late. Didn’t surprise me it was overturned.”

Trevor Ariza’s 3-pointer with 2:09 remaining pulled Houston within 119-118 then Patrick McCaw hit a baseline jumper immediately after Golden State’s timeout. James Harden made a layup and PJ Tucker hit two free throws with 44.1 to make it 122-121.

Nick Young came off the bench to hit six 3-pointers and score 23 points in a brilliant Warriors debut, Curry scored 22 points and Durant had 20 after a slow start. Klay Thompson added 16 points.

Chris Paul had four points on 2-for-9 shooting in his Rockets debut, while Harden scored 27 points, Eric Gordon 24 and Tucker 20 for the Rockets. Houston opened the fourth with a 9-0 run to get back in it.

“It’s very encouraging to be able to beat a great team like that on a huge night for them,” Anderson said.

The Warriors found their rhythm early but couldn’t close it out after an abbreviated preseason in terms of practice time given their recent trip to China for a pair of games against Minnesota.

Draymond Green exited in the second half with a strained left knee after he contributed nine points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds.

“When we’re lacking conditioning like we are right now you have to have your high-energy guys,” Kerr said. “It doesn’t matter what it’s because of, we just have to get in better shape.”

Still, this opener was a far cry for the forgettable 129-100 defeat at home to San Antonio in Durant’s Warriors debut a year ago when Golden State came off a record 73-win season and runner-up finish to Cleveland in the 2016 Finals.

“I just remember the last game of the season we played,” Durant said of the Game 5 Finals clincher in June.

Young found his stroke right away, hitting his first four 3s and five shots overall. It’s exactly what the Warriors want him to do: shoot every time he has a good look. His six 3-pointers set a franchise record for anyone in their Warriors debut and also in a season opener.

Durant had one spectacular sequence in the third when he blocked Anderson’s shot on one end then converted a three-point play moments later on the other, slapping hands with a lucky boy fan on the baseline.

Houston acquired Paul from the Clippers to give them a 1-2 backcourt punch to try to gain ground on Golden State in the Western Conference.

“They came out and threw their best punch and it took us a while to adjust,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “The last quarter we held them to 20. We’re not going to do much better than that.”

RING CEREMONY

Kerr planned to pay extra attention as veterans Durant, Zaza Pachulia and David West each received a championship ring for the first time in their careers.

“Basketball accomplishments to me now are just what they are,” Durant said after morning shootaround. “I can kind of separate the two now. I feel like it’s more so just cool as hell more than anything. It’s like getting a prize possession that you’re just really excited about versus getting something that’s going to change your life. ... I’ll be more so just really giddy and happy more so than emotional. I won’t be a mess.”

BEAT-UP DUBS

Key backup and 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala missed the game with a back strain, while Omri Casspi — who had been questionable with a mild right ankle sprain — appeared in his 500th career game making his debut with the Warriors. He then tweaked the ankle again.

Iguodala is expected to return for the upcoming road trip.

INJURED OFFICIAL

Referee Tre Maddox, accompanied by medical personnel, left midway through the fourth quarter after a collision with David West and hard hit. The NBA said after the game Maddox sustained an abdominal wall strain.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Tucker earned a flagrant 1 foul for his hard hit on Durant in the second. ... D’Antoni joked “We’re going to go to the In-N-Out burger” during the pregame festivities, opting to keep his team in the locker room. “They deserve it,” he said. “They won it, we didn’t.” ... The Rockets hit 22 3-pointers in three preseason games and didn’t allow more than 106 points, holding opponents to 93.8. ... Houston also opened the season vs. the Warriors in 2009 and ’10. ...

Warriors: The Warriors are auctioning signed shooting shirts worn for the pregame festivities to benefit fire relief efforts in the North Bay. ... Thompson has hit a 3 in 55 straight games, second-longest active streak.

UP NEXT

Rockets: At Kings on Wednesday night in Sacramento’s season opener.

Warriors: At New Orleans on Friday to start a three-game road trip.

___

More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Recap: Celtics roll Warriors, stay unbeaten in Vegas

Juan Carlos Blanco, RotoWire

The sixth-seeded Boston Celtics were without key players but still had enough firepower to blow out the No. 22 seed Golden State Warriors 93-69 in the Las Vegas Summer League playoffs Thursday at Cox Pavilion.

Boston's Jaylen Brown missed the game with a bruised right quadriceps, while 2017 first-round pick Jayson Tatum was out with right patellar tendonitis. But the Celtics got 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field from reserve Roscoe Allen and 17 points on 8-of-10 field-goal shooting from second-round pick Jabari Bird to dominate the Warriors (1-4).

The Celtics (4-0) built a 20-5 first-quarter lead and never trailed, shooting 54 percent from the field, including 52.6 percent (10 of 19) from three-point range, while holding the Warriors to 28 percent shooting from the field.

Ante Zizic added 14 points and 10 rebounds with three blocks and a steal. Semi Ojeleye had nine points and nine rebounds, and Demetrius Jackson continued his solid play with nine points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block.

The Warriors were once again led by Patrick McCaw, who scored 20 points. Undrafted point guard Bryce Alford had 11 points, while Noah Allen finished with eight points in 10 minutes off the bench.

The Celtics advance to play the Dallas Mavericks in the quarterfinals Friday.

Warriors reportedly bring back Pachulia

Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia has agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract, multiple outlets reported on Friday.

Pachulia served as the starter of a three-center rotation last season, during which he averaged 6.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in 70 games.

The 33-year-old's numbers took a slight dip in the postseason, as he averaged 5.1 points and 3.8 rebounds with Warriors en route to their second championship in three years.

Pachulia played for $2.9 million last season.

HIGHLIGHTS: The very best of the Warriors 2017 championship parade

Watch the best moments from the 2017 Golden State Warriors championship parade.

Courtesy CSN Bay Area.

WATCH LIVE: Golden State Warriors Championship Parade

Watch the Golden State Warriors' championship parade from the Bay Area.

Courtesy of CSN Bay Area.

2 out of 3 ain't bad: Warriors top Cavs for another title

(TSX / STATS) -- OAKLAND, Calif. -- After the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers traded championships in 2015 and 2016, they could never agree on one key thing.

Who was the better team?

The third time around, there was no doubt.

The Warriors used a 28-4 flurry in the second quarter to take a lead they never relinquished, then relied on the scoring of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry down the stretch to hold off the Cavaliers en route to a 129-120 victory Monday night, claiming their second NBA championship in seasons.

Durant, the MVP of the Finals, had 39 points, and Curry added 34 for the Warriors, who captured the best-of-seven series 4-1 against the defending champions.

"We did it together," said Durant, a first-time champion. "Call us a super team, but it's been a lot of super teams that hasn't worked. We came together and we continued to just believe in each other and we sacrificed, and we're champions now."

Golden State completed an unprecedented 16-1 run through the NBA playoffs, registering the second-best average playoff point differential (plus-13.5) in league history.

Completing a perfect 9-0 run at home during the postseason, the Warriors became the first San Francisco Bay Area team to win a championship at home since the Oakland Athletics won the 1974 World Series.

"This is history," Warriors forward Andre Iguodala said. "We're going down as one of the best teams ever, and that's a special thing you cannot take away from us."

Led by LeBron James' game-high 41 points, the Cavaliers hung within 108-102 with 8:29 to play on a 3-pointer by Kyle Korver.

However, Iguodala assisted a Durant dunk and added one of his own off a Curry feed, reopening a double-digit lead and making the final 7:42 an extended celebration among the Oracle Arena fans.

"Golden State (was) the best team this year," James said. "They showcased that throughout the postseason, and we were another opponent in their way.

"We left everything on the floor, and it still wasn't enough."

Durant shot 14 of 20 overall and 5 of 8 on 3-pointers, hitting three of his threes during the critical second-quarter run that lasted more than seven minutes and turned a 41-33 deficit into a 61-45 advantage.

Curry shot 10 of 20, converted 12 of his 15 free throw attempts, found time for six rebounds and completed a double-double with a game-high 10 assists.

When the game became two-on-two, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue observed, his team had little chance.

"They started to go with the pick-and-roll with Steph Curry and Durant, which might be one of the most unstoppable pick-and-rolls in our league," Lue said. "And they waited until late to do it. That's a tough play to stop."

The Warriors, who were playing a Game 5 for the first time in the postseason, shot 51.1 percent from the field and 36.8 percent on 3-pointers.

Iguodala chipped in with 20 points off the bench and Draymond Green had a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Warriors, who topped 100 points for the 17th straight time in the playoffs.

"There was never any question in my mind that this was going to work," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of the addition of Durant to a Curry-led core that already was good enough to make consecutive Finals. "This was the culmination of a year where (Durant and Curry) grew together and learned each other's games and got better and better all year. It was phenomenal to be a part of."

James collected a game-high 13 rebounds, eight assists and two steals to go with his 41 points in becoming the first player ever to average a triple-double in the Finals.

"I have no reason to put my head down," said James, who finished with averages of 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists in the five-game series. "I have no reason to look back at what I could have done or what I shouldn't have done or what I could have done better for the team. I left everything I had out on the floor every single game for five games in this Finals, and you come up short."

Kyrie Irving, fighting through back tightness late in the game, had 26 points and J.R. Smith 25 for the Cavaliers, who, like the Warriors, were competing in their third straight Finals.

The Cavaliers shot 53.4 percent from the field and 45.8 percent on 3-pointers, but were outrebounded 42-40 and outscored 23-15 at the free-throw line.

"A lot of guys cried because they wanted it bad," Lue reported of the postgame scene in the Cleveland locker room. "That's all you can ask."

NOTES: The Warriors' .941 winning percentage in the playoffs (16-1) bettered the previous mark of .938 established by the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers, who went 15-1. ... The highest average point differential in NBA playoff history remains plus-14.5, set by the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. ... The championship was the 17th won by a San Francisco Bay Area franchise in baseball, basketball or football. The Warriors have three, trailing the San Francisco 49ers (five) and Oakland Athletics (four). ... Cavaliers SF LeBron James played in his 217th career postseason game, moving past C Shaquille O'Neal for seventh place on the all-time list.

Cavs cling to life with record-setting effort vs. Warriors

(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- A chance at perfection ended, the Golden State Warriors find themselves in the same spot in the NBA Finals as they were at this time a year ago.

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Warriors 137-116 in Game 4 of the Finals on Friday night to avoid elimination. Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 40 points and LeBron James broke all kinds of records as he posted a triple-double.

The loss ended the Warriors' bid for a perfect 16-0 run through the playoffs, which had never been done. Golden State leads 3-1 in the series as it shifts back to Oakland, Calif., for Game 5 on Monday night.

"The magnitude of the games, especially the last game, it hit me in a very deep place," said Irving, who made 15 of 27 shots from the floor and drained seven 3-pointers -- tied for second most in a Finals game. "Glad that we got the monkey off our back in terms of just getting one win in this series in terms of going against this great team."

Golden State whiffed at its chance to pop champagne in Cleveland's visiting locker room for the second time in three seasons -- something the Warriors openly discussed as a goal: celebrating at The Q.

"I didn't hear it, but some of the other guys heard it and told me that that they wanted to celebrate on our floor once again and they wanted to spray champagne in our locker rooms, and I think it came from Draymond (Green), which is OK, that's Dray anyway," James said. "So I just told guys, I didn't stress anything besides just live in the moment. Live in the moment."

The Cavs set Finals records with 86 points in the first half, 49 in the first quarter, and 3-pointers in a game (24). James finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth triple-double, passing Magic Johnson for first place in Finals history.

Kevin Love added 23 points for Cleveland and J.R. Smith finished with 15 points.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 35 points. Green added 16 points and 14 rebounds and Stephen Curry was 4 of 13 for 14 points.

"Just one of those games," Curry said. "Not going to overreact to one."

The Cavs became the first team in NBA history to recover from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals last season. No team has come back from 3-0 in the playoffs.

"Believeland is not going to give up and we're going to keep fighting," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. "We're going to keep scrapping."

The Warriors still have ample chances to win their second title in three seasons over the Cavs, something they failed to do last season.

"Different team, man, different team," Curry said. "Obviously, we haven't felt this feeling walking off the court with a loss in a while, but we have done a good job bouncing back and being resilient all year."

The third quarter was easily the most chaotic of the Finals. It started with 6:18 left in the quarter when Green appeared to pick up his second technical.

Instead of an automatic ejection, however, Green stayed in the game because officials insisted the first technical given to him -- with 1:55 left in the first quarter -- was actually assessed to Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

And with 1:10 left in the quarter, Zaza Pachulia and Kyle Korver were tied up on a loose ball. In the scrum, Pachulia appeared to kick Iman Shumpert -- who was standing over him -- once and punch him twice. Instead of an ejection for Pachulia, however, he and Shumpert were slapped with technicals.

The quarter closed with a 3-ball from Curry with 12 seconds to go, answered by one from James with 2.7 seconds remaining. The Cavs led 115-96.

Cleveland led 86-68 at halftime and were up by as many as 22. The 86 points were the most in a half in NBA Finals history.

A Durant 3-pointer at the buzzer brought the Warriors a little closer. Irving was up to 28 points and James had already registered 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists. The Cavs made 13 3-pointers.

The Cavaliers set a Finals record with 49 points in the first quarter and led by 16 when it was over. James had two foul shots with 2.9 seconds left and missed one, otherwise Cleveland would've hung 50 on the Warriors.

Four players -- Green, Klay Thompson, Curry and Andre Iguodala -- were whistled for two fouls in the first quarter. The Cavs took 22 free throws in the quarter but only made 14. They were 17-of-26 from the line at halftime.

"That was pretty much the factor (the fouls) in that first quarter," Curry said. "The aggressor usually gets the whistle and they were the aggressor."

NOTES: LeBron James said his mother, Gloria, did not want him to return to Cleveland and play for the Cavaliers in 2014, according to cleveland.com. James made the disclosure in a production for his online platform for athletes, Uninterrupted, in which he, Warriors star F Draymond Green, rapper 2 Chainz, and James' inner circle sat around at a barbershop during All-Star weekend in New Orleans. James said his mom didn't want him to leave the Miami Heat for the Cavs because of the letter Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert wrote to fans the night James bolted for the Heat in 2010. ... James passed Michael Jordan for third place in NBA Finals scoring history with his first basket and for first in free throws in the Finals. Jordan scored 1,176 points and connected on 1,463 free throws in six Finals. ... When the Warriors received 31 points from Kevin Durant and 30 from Klay Thompson in Game 3, it was the first time a team had two players score 30 points in consecutive Finals games since Elgin Baylor and Jerry West did it with the Los Angeles Lakers in Games 6 and 7 of the 1962 Finals.

Warriors look to finish off sweep of Cavaliers

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- One team is trying to make history, the other desperately hoping to avoid a repeat of it.

The Golden State Warriors hold a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers and can finish the sweep for their second title in three seasons with a win in Game 4 on Friday night.

The Warriors aren't just looking for another championship. They've won 15 straight playoff games, and can become the first team in NBA history to navigate the playoffs without a loss.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, were swept out of the Finals 10 years ago this month. It was LeBron James' first Finals, and his team was sawed in half by the San Antonio Spurs, who were in the midst of a streak of three titles in six seasons.

Seven Finals and three championships later, James is facing the same fate.

"I think it's just part of my calling to just go against teams in the midst of a dynasty," James said on Thursday. "This has been the best team in our league the last three years. They won a championship, and last year it was the greatest regular-season team we had played, probably one of the best postseason teams that everybody's ever seen as well, but we were just able to overcome that. And they're playing like one of the best teams once again."

James, who is averaging a triple-double in the 2017 Finals (32 points, 12.3 rebounds, 10.3 assists), and the Cavs edged the Warriors in Game 7 last year after falling behind 3-1, becoming the first team to ever overcome such a deficit in the Finals. No NBA team has ever recovered from a 3-0 hole in the playoffs.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who played for a couple dynasties himself with the Chicago Bulls and Spurs, was on the 72-win Chicago team in 1996 that built a 3-0 lead over the Seattle SuperSonics in the Finals. Seattle took the next two games before losing in Game 6.

"In the end you just want to win," Kerr said. "The other stuff doesn't really matter. People can talk about it in historical context, but you just get it done, win the series and let everybody else talk."

The Warriors have been led in the Finals by Kevin Durant, the ground-shaking free-agent acquisition from last season who was the 2014 MVP and has perhaps reshaped the Golden State-Cleveland rivalry forever.

Durant lost to James and the Miami Heat when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 Finals, and didn't make it back until this year.

Durant is averaging 34 points in this series and scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of Game 3 -- a 118-113 win for the Warriors in which they trailed by six with three minutes left. He has also taken pressure off of Stephen Curry, who struggled in the first two Finals series against Cleveland but has been brilliant this time around.

The Warriors signed Durant to a two-year, $55 million deal, and before the ink was dry they were an immediate favorite to beat the Cavs in the Finals. Now, there's one more win to come before the prophecy comes true.

"I didn't envision anything but just being around good people and getting better every single day," Durant said. "That's exactly what happened throughout the season. I didn't talk to these guys when I made my decision and say we better make it to The Finals and be up in the series around this time, this exact date, or I'm not coming.

"I mean, it was just let's just have some fun playing ball, let's just all get better and let's see what happens."

The Warriors popped champagne inside the bowels of Quicken Loans Arena in 2015, having clinched the series in six games. The Cavs could at least momentarily stall Golden State's momentum, and keep their visitors' locker room dry, by breaking up the Warriors' perfect playoffs with a win Friday.

But after a draining loss to the Warriors in Game 3, the Cavs will have to guard against a letdown, not to mention Golden State's vaunted lineup that was built to dominate for years.

"We'll see what happens," James said. "Obviously you never know what's going to happen, but as it stands right now, they look pretty good, as far as the future."

Durant-led rally brings Warriors to brink of history

(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- The Golden State Warriors are one win from a sweep, from revenge, from history.

Kevin Durant, the difference in the 2017 NBA Finals, led the Warriors with 31 points, and Golden State mounted a furious comeback to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-113 in Game 3.

The Warriors, down by six with less than two minutes remaining, scored the game's final 11 points.

Up 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Warriors can win their second title in three seasons and become the first team in NBA history to go through the playoffs without a loss with a win in Game 4 on Friday night in Cleveland.

Golden State is now 15-0 this postseason. That is the longest winning streak in the playoffs in any major North American professional sport.

"It's not done," Durant said. "Closeout game is always the toughest. We have to be even better in Game 4 if we want to take this. It's an exciting time, but we still have a lot of work to do."

LeBron James scored 39 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out nine assists for Cleveland. Kyrie Irving added 38 for the Cavs, who went scoreless over the game's final 3:09.

Durant, meanwhile, scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer with 45.3 seconds left for a 114-113 advantage.

"Even when you're playing well, you got to play like A-plus-plus, because they're going to make runs and they're going to make shots and they got guys that's going to make plays," James said. "So we made enough plays tonight to still win the ballgame, but they made a couple more."

Klay Thompson had 30 points for the Warriors and Stephen Curry finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds. After committing 20 turnovers in Game 2, Golden State was again careless with the ball (18 turnovers for 22 Cleveland points).

And, again, it didn't matter.

After J.R. Smith drained a 3-pointer with 3:09 left for a 113-107 advantage, the Cavs missed eight shots. Kevin Love missed a layup, James a turnaround jumper, and Kyle Korver an open 3-point try in the corner.

"Obviously K.D. made some huge plays down the stretch," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "I thought Klay's defense on Kyrie was amazing. Overall, it was just an incredibly tough, resilient performance. It wasn't our smartest game that we have played all year, but it was maybe our toughest in terms of our ability to just hang in there.

"And nothing was really going our way, but we were still there. And we just had to kind of stay with it, and I thought our guys did a really good job of that."

Smith recovered from a poor first two games to score 16 for the Cavs. Love added nine points, 13 rebounds and six steals.

Last year, the Cavs recovered from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Warriors in seven games. The year before, Golden State fell behind 2-1 in the series but closed out a title in Game 6 in Cleveland.

After the comeback win Wednesday in a game in which they faced their toughest test, the Warriors hope to be popping champagne again at Quicken Loans Arena.

"It sets us up for hopefully a great night on Friday," Curry said.

The Warriors entered play as the best team in the NBA in the third quarter, and they outscored the Cavs by 24 in the third quarters of the first two games. Not this time. Irving erupted for 16 points in the period, and the Cavs held a 94-89 edge heading into the fourth.

It was Cleveland's first lead at the end of any quarter in this series. Love's 3-pointer at 8:59 gave the Cavs their first advantage at any point after the first quarter in this series, and Cleveland's 94-87 lead toward the end of the period was its largest of the series.

The Warriors closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run and led 39-32. They set an NBA record with nine 3-pointers in the period. Thompson was scorching with 16 points, while James countered with 16 for the Cavs.

With about six minutes left in the opening quarter, James was caught flush in the jaw by an inadvertent shoulder from teammate Tristan Thompson. James was rushing to the perimeter on defense, and Thompson moved back and the two collided, laying James out on the court. James remained in the game, and after the timeout scored on a drive to the hoop.

When the first half was over, James had 27 points and the Warriors had committed 12 turnovers, and yet Golden State still led 67-61. Irving drove the length of the floor and lobbed one high off the glass for a layup at the buzzer to get the Cavs to within six.

NOTES: Cavaliers F LeBron James passed Sam Jones (1,143 points), Bill Russell (1,151), and Elgin Baylor (1,161) for fourth place on the NBA Finals all-time scoring list in the first half. He passed Russell (315 assists) for third all time in Finals assists, too. ... The previous longest postseason winning streak in major North American sports was 14 games by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 and '93. ... Country music stars and Columbus, Ohio, natives Rascal Flatts sang the national anthem. ... Urban Meyer, Ohio State football coach and friend of James, and PGA Tour star Bubba Watson were among the celebrities on hand. ... The last time the Warriors lost with F Kevin Durant healthy was Feb. 13 in Denver, prior to the All-Star break. ... According to Forbes Magazine, James is the second-highest paid athlete in the world in 2017, with salary and endorsements totaling $86.2 million. Golden State F Kevin Durant is fifth on that list at $60.6 million, and Warriors G Stephen Curry is eighth at $47.3 million.

Warriors-Cavaliers Preview

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CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in the same place through two games in the NBA Finals they were at this point last season.

Blown out in Games 1 and 2 by the Golden State Warriors, looking for something to change in the first home game before the series is over for all intents and purposes.

Things turned out OK for the Cavs in 2016. They won Game 3 by 30 points and eventually became the first team in NBA history to recover from a 3-1 deficit to win the Finals.

"You understand the journey and how much of the energy it took from a mental and physical standpoint in order to come back from something like that," said Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving. "But you know it's definitely possible."

The Warriors have outscored Cleveland by 41 points through two games. They've blown the doors off of LeBron James and company in both games in the third quarters, outscoring the Cavs by 13 points in Game 1 and 11 on Sunday.

Kevin Durant wasn't wearing a Golden State jersey while his current teammates collapsed in last year's Finals. He has scored 71 points through two games. Harrison Barnes, the player Durant replaced in the Warriors' lineup, scored 65 for the whole series.

Durant is a former MVP in the prime of his career who was added to a roster that won an NBA-record 73 games last season before the stunning Finals defeat. He is partnered with Stephen Curry, a two-time MVP who has scored 60 points through two games and is coming off a triple-double in Game 2.

And the Warriors point to Game 3 as the initial turning point.

"I think it was the nature with which they won that game, the force that they brought," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "They blew us out. I don't remember what the final score was, but it wasn't close. And I thought that gave them confidence, gave their crowd confidence.

"We came back and won Game 4 in a great effort and had them right where we wanted them, but I think Game 3 gave them that confidence, and obviously everything changed in Game 5."

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said he is sticking with shooting guard J.R. Smith in the starting lineup despite his struggles. Smith has scored just three points in two games on 1-of-6 shooting.

Then again, Smith was scuffling through the first two games of last season's Finals and came back with 20 points in Game 3.

"I have the same confidence level I've had since I started playing this game," Smith said. "I feel like I can make any and every shot. I feel like I'm going to -- feel like I'm going to play well every time I step on the floor. Obviously that doesn't happen every time.

"My confidence has never dwindled, lacked, chipped, nothing. I feel like when I'm on the floor, I mean obviously Bron is Bron, but I feel like I'm one of the best players on the floor."

James is averaging a triple-double through two games, with 28.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. Twice during his career he has led the Cavs back from an 0-2 deficit in a playoff series -- in the 2007 Eastern finals against Detroit and of course last season.

James, who actually ended his protest of NBA podium interviews after Tuesday's practice by again taking reporters' questions on stage, said losses take "a mental toll."

"It's something I am accustomed to," James said. "It's something that I feel like is -- that it's OK for me to kind of always go back and know that I can refocus. I can get my guys ready, get myself ready. But you hate to continue to put yourself in these positions."

The Warriors are 14-0 to start the postseason. They're the first NBA team to ever do it. With a win in Game 3 they would pass the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins for the most consecutive playoff wins by any major professional sports team.

For what it's worth, no team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs. The Warriors are two wins from sweeping all four rounds, including the last one, against the defending champs.

"We want 15-0," Kerr said. "That's what we want. Are we 14-0 right now? We want 15-0. That's what we want. We literally have never once mentioned 16-0. To me it's a miracle that it's even a possibility. It's so hard to do.

"But we are here, we're more focused on what happened last year like in terms of we were up 2-0 and we came here and the series shifted. That's the important lesson, not any historical benchmarks or anything like that."

Curry's triple-double leads Warriors to Game 2 rout

(TSX / STATS) -- OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Cleveland Cavaliers hoped Game 2 of the NBA Finals wouldn't look at all like Game 1.

And it didn't.

Except on the scoreboard.

Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry buried 3-pointers in a 13-point, five-possession flurry early in the fourth quarter Sunday night, and the Golden State Warriors pulled away from the Cavaliers en route to a 132-113 victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Curry recorded his first career postseason triple-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, helping Golden State, which won Game 1 by 22 points, take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

It is the first time in NBA Finals history that a team won each of the first two games by at least 19 points.

"A lot of positives," Curry said. "A total team effort tonight with how we played and withstood their first punch coming out."

The Finals shift to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday.

"They play well at home," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said of the Warriors. "They won their first two games like they're supposed to. We get a chance to go home now to our home crowd, where we play well also. We got to go home and regroup."

Golden State's NBA-record-breaking 14th consecutive postseason win came in Steve Kerr's return to the Warriors' bench after the coach missed the previous 11 games while dealing the spinal-fluid issues.

LeBron James had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists in defeat, the eighth postseason triple-double of his career, equaling Magic Johnson's all-time record.

"What was the difference?" James said, repeating a question he was asked regarding last year's two consecutive wins in Oakland compared to two straight losses this week. "They're a different team."

After watching the Warriors use a 13-2 run to help build a 102-88 lead by the end of the third quarter, the Cavaliers retained hope when they held Golden State to just one field goal in the first 2:08 of the fourth quarter.

A 3-pointer by Kyrie Irving kept the Cavaliers within 108-97 with 8:41 to go before Thompson, who shot 3-for-16 in Game 1, ignited the game-breaking run with a 3-pointer.

Thompson followed by converting an inbounds play into a hoop, and Durant scored on a drive. Durant and Curry then knocked down 3-pointers 23 seconds apart to balloon the lead to 121-99 and render most of the final 6:18 as garbage time.

"The biggest thing for us is our defense has been amazing," Curry said. "Playing with a lot of energy. Playing smart. Trying to make them work for everything that they get."

Durant led the Warriors with 33 points and 13 rebounds, and he hit four of his eight 3-point attempts.

Three days after lamenting 42.5 percent shooting and 21 misses in 33 3-point attempts, Golden State shot 18-for-43 (41.9 percent) from 3-point range, outscoring the Cavaliers 54-24 from beyond the arc.

Curry and Thompson, who finished with 22 points, also connected on four 3-pointers apiece for Golden State, which shot 51.7 percent overall.

"Klay played so well in Game 1, without shooting well, and to me that usually indicates that the ball's going to go in," Kerr said of Thompson. "I just felt like he was poised to come out and make some shots tonight. I thought he was fantastic."

The Warriors won despite committing 20 turnovers, a stat that caught Kerr's eye.

"Tonight was a game based on talent. We had a lot of guys who played exceptionally well individually," Kerr said. "But heading to Cleveland, we're going to have to be a lot smarter. We play that same game in Cleveland, there's no way we win."

James' points came on 12-for-18 shooting for the Cavaliers, who shot 45 percent from the field but just 27.6 percent (8-for-29) from 3-point range.

The Warriors blocked seven shots, including five by Durant, who became just the third player since 1984 to have a 30-point, 10-rebound, five-block game in the NBA Finals.

"His defense was amazing, and we needed (it)," Kerr said of Durant, whose feat matched that of Hakeem Olajuwon in 1986 and Tim Duncan in 2003. "It was probably the key to the whole game."

Kevin Love had 27 points and Irving 19 on 8-for-23 shooting for Cleveland, which committed just nine turnovers one game after giving the ball away 20 times in the opener.

"We ride or die with Kyrie," Love said. "Kyrie knows what he's capable of. So I would imagine Kyrie's going to come out and have a great Game 3."

After trailing by just three at halftime, the Cavaliers were still down just 86-82 after a layup by Irving with 5:41 left in the third period.

Cleveland then missed nine of its next 10 shots, and by the time Love converted an interior hoop with 54 seconds remaining in the period, the Warriors had built a 99-84 advantage.

NOTES: Warriors coach Steve Kerr hadn't been on the bench since Game 2 of the Warriors' first-round sweep over the Portland Trail Blazers. He said before the game: "The intention is to coach tonight and the rest of the series." ... The game was the first in NBA Finals history in which two players -- Warriors PG Stephen Curry and Cavaliers SF LeBron James -- recorded triple-doubles. ... The Warriors' 132 points were the most in an NBA Finals game since the Los Angeles Lakers scored 141 in Game 2 of the 1987 Finals. ... The Warriors' 18 3-pointers were an NBA Finals record, topping the 17 they recorded in Game 4 of last year's Finals. ... Golden State G Klay Thompson played in his 78th career playoff game, breaking a tie with SG Jeff Mullins for the most in franchise history. ... The Cavaliers wore their sleeved black jerseys for the first time since Games 5 and 7 of last year's Finals, a pair of games they won in Oakland. ... Before the game, the National Basketball Coaches Association presented its annual Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award to co-winners Al Attles, who led the Warriors to their first West Coast championship in 1975, and Hubie Brown, a Hall of Fame honoree in 2005.