|
 They would have needed a whole lot more than that to beat the
league's winningest team.
The Golden State Warriors got double-figure scoring from six
players, including 14 points from backup guard Justin Holiday en
route to their 14th consecutive home win, 112-94 over the LeBron
James-less Cavaliers.
Power forward Draymond Green saved six of his 10 points for a 17-5,
game-ending run as the Golden State starters, still fresh after
getting an opportunity to sit more than one-third of the game,
finally turned back a serious challenge by the injury-plagued
Cavaliers.
"That's why we're such a good team -- because of our depth," said
Holiday, who took on a more important role than usual due to a
seven-stitch cut sustained by Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson
in the third quarter. "When we play like we did tonight, we can give
the starters even more rest and allow them to finish the game even
stronger."
The Warriors took advantage of the absence of James, who sat out his
seventh consecutive game with a strained left knee and lower back.
Cleveland fell to 1-6 with their star small forward out of action.
 The Cavaliers were missing more than just James. Forward Shawn
Marion (strained left hip), shooting guard Iman Shumpert (dislocated
left shoulder) and big man Anderson Varejao (ruptured Achilles'
tendon) also watched Cleveland fall short in its opener of a
five-game Western swing.
Smith, scoreless in his Cavaliers debut Wednesday, helped fill some
of that void with 27 points. Mozgov came off the bench to contribute
nine points and eight rebounds just two days after having been
acquired from Denver.
"I think you see we're a better team today than we were yesterday,"
boasted Cavaliers coach David Blatt. "I told you coming in: I had
nothing but a good feeling about J.R. joining our team."
The Warriors (29-5) led just 95-89 before Green, who had scored only
four points in the game's first 43 minutes, connected on a 10-footer
to begin the game-ending run.
Green also hit back-to-back shots that opened an insurmountable
105-92 lead in the final minute.
"We've become really tough to beat at home and that's important,"
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "I think this is the best venue in
the NBA -- the best place to play and the hardest place to play. We
have to keep it that way."
Thompson, despite missing almost 10 minutes bridging the third and
fourth quarters while getting seven stitches in his forehead, led
the Warriors with 24 points. Backcourt mate Stephen Curry added 23
to complement 10 assists.
Thompson, who was inadvertently belted by Smith during a jump ball
with 4:13 remaining in the third quarter, collected four 3-pointers
to give him 645 in his career, the most ever by a player in his
fourth NBA season. Curry held the previous record at 644.
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Curry also recorded a distinction of his own in the game. His 10
assists increased his career total to 2,520, moving him past Sleepy
Floyd and into sixth place on the Warriors' all-time list.
Green added 11 rebounds and eight assists to the win, which allowed
the Warriors to complete a 6-0 homestand. The Warriors won those six
games by a total of 133 points.
Led by Holiday, Warriors backups outscored their Cleveland
counterparts 32-16. The fivesome of center Andrew Bogut, power
forward David Lee, small forward Andre Iguodala, Holiday and point
guard Shaun Livingston combined to play 93 of a possible 240
minutes.
"We get tired down the stretch," Blatt admitted. "Our guys really,
really competed. We played very well against a top-level team in the
NBA. We were there."
Power forward Kevin Love had 17 points and 14 rebounds for the
Cavaliers (19-18), who had won five of their previous seven games in
Oakland. The double-double was Love's fourth in his last four games.
Point guard Kyrie Irving chipped in with 23 points to go with six
rebounds and five assists.
NOTES: ESPN broadcaster Mark Jackson worked his first Warriors home
game since being fired on May 6. ... Cleveland coach David Blatt
admitted before the game that he "basically" had an agreement to
join the Golden State staff as an assistant last summer and needed
coach Steve Kerr's blessing just to take a call from the Cavaliers.
... Kerr said of Blatt before tipoff: "He stepped into a pretty
difficult situation -- an enviable one, but a difficult one." ...
Cavaliers SF LeBron James did some shooting at the morning
shootaround but did not participate in any other physical activity.
... Kerr indicated after the game that C Andrew Bogut, who has come
off the bench in the last two wins following a 12-game absence,
likely will return to the starting lineup Tuesday at Utah.
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