OAKLAND, Calif.: A strong defensive effort couldn’t overcome a lackluster offense as the Cavaliers stumbled on the road 89-83 in an NBA Finals rematch against the champion Warriors.
LeBron James scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Cavaliers, but it wan’t enough to extend a six-game winning streak.
“We gave ourselves a chance,” James said. “If we play like that defensively, we’re going to be a very tough team to beat. Offensively, we just didn’t have it. No one had it.”
A tough Warriors defense limited the Cavaliers to 32 percent shooting, and 5-for-30 on 3-pointers.
The Warriors’ long-range shots weren’t falling like usual, but they showed they are quite comfortable grinding out wins.
Draymond Green had 22 points and 15 rebounds, but it was the team’s tenacious defense that helped lead them past the Cavaliers.
“It’s good to have one of those every so often,” guard Stephen Curry said. “If our defense shows up, we’re in pretty good shape to win games. We just show our versatility and try to win different ways.”
Curry added 19 points, Klay Thompson had 18, and the Warriors improved to 28-1 by winning their 32nd straight regular-season home game.
The Warriors were held under 100 points at home for the first time in more than a year in the regular season, however it happened five times in the playoffs.
“It’s good to practice and get experience in that type of game as well where it’s low scoring, getting stops, knocking down free throws and executing in the half court,” interim coach Luke Walton said. “It’s great experience for us.”
The Cavaliers were short-handed when they lost the NBA Finals to the Warriors in six games, missing power forward Kevin Love the entire series with a shoulder injury and losing point guard Kyrie Irving to a knee injury late in the first game.
Having both players healthy for the rematch did little to help Cleveland. Love scored just 10 points on 5-for-16 shooting, and Irving missed 11-of-15 shots in a 13-point game.
With those two struggling, the Warriors built a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter following a jumper by Thompson and a layup from Green.
But James responded with two dunks and a blocked shot on Thompson before Love’s tip-in made it 81-77 with just over two minutes to play.
James missed two free throws after Cleveland got another stop and Curry responded with two layups around J.R. Smith’s 3-pointer to make it 85-80 with 57.6 seconds to play.
James shot an air ball from 3 with 12.7 seconds to play to end Cleveland’s comeback attempt.
“Tonight our defense was absolutely unbelievable for all 48 minutes,” Warriors center Andrew Bogut said. “To keep them to the 80s, they never really got in a flow where they could really attack us.”
There was an increased intensity at the start of the seventh Christmas Day rematch of the previous season’s finals with fans on edge far more than for most regular-season games.
The officials let both teams play through contact early and the Warriors led 45-42 at the half.
Tip-ins
Cavaliers: Cleveland started a stretch of 10 road games in 12 contests. ... Center Timofey Mozgov had zero points on 0-for-5 shooting.
Warriors: Golden State got its first home win with fewer than 90 points since beating Sacramento 87-83 on March 6, 2013. ... Guard Shaun Livingston scored a season-high 16 points off the bench. ... Guard Leandro Barbosa left the game with a sprained left shoulder.
Off target
The Cavaliers struggled from long range, making just 5-of-30 3-pointers. Smith was 4-for-8, while the rest of the team hit just one in 22 attempts.
Love and Irving combined to miss all 11 attempts.
“It’s one of those nights,” Love said. “I don’t know if you’ll ever see Kyrie and myself go 0 for 11 from 3 again.”