Kevin Durant, Warriors KO LeBron James, Cavs
Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors looks for an open lane under pressure from JR Smith of the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. AFP
CLEVELAND – Once the lead swelled to 14, Kevin Durant waved both arms like a boxing referee stopping a fight.
Another knockout on the road for these Warriors.
Durant scored 32 points, Stephen Curry added 23 and Golden State extended its road winning streak to 13 with a 118-108 Martin Luther King holiday victory Monday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, their struggling NBA Finals foes.
Durant scored 16 in the third quarter for the defending champions, who clamped down on defense and pulled away in the fourth to remain unbeaten outside Oracle Arena since Nov. 22. It’s not that they play poorly at home, but Durant said the Dubs take a different identity when they travel.
“At home, we just relax a little bit,” Durant said. “This is who we are when we’re on the road.”
In other results, Charlotte ripped Detroit, 118-107; Philadelphia upended Toronto, 117-111; Milwaukee thumped Washington, 104-95; Atlanta shocked San Antonio, 102-99; New York blasted Brooklyn, 119-104; Chicago upended Miami, 119-111; Oklahoma subdued Sacramento, 95-88; Indiana crushed Utah, 109-94; the Los Angeles Lakers stunned the Houston Rockets, 113-102; and the Memphis Grizzlies trounced the Los Angeles Lakers, 123-114.
Back in Cleveland, LeBron James scored 32 points and Kevin Love 17 for Cleveland, which had its home winning streak stopped at 13. Isaiah Thomas, getting his first taste of the Warriors-Cavaliers rivalry, had 19 points in 32 minutes – his most in five games as he returns from a hip injury.
It was Golden State’s second straight win over Cleveland, which has dropped eight of 10 dating to a loss to the Warriors on Christmas Day. The Cavs were down just 93-91 entering the fourth, but missed 17 of 19 shots to open the period, and Golden State throttled away.
“It seemed like the rim just got smaller and smaller,” James said. “But I like our effort. If we continue that going into our next few games, then I like where we are.”
The teams have met in the Finals each of the past three years. And while there’s no guarantee there will be a fourth matchup, at this point only one of them looks prepared in January for June.
Durant, though, expects the Cavs to improve as they incorporate Thomas.
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