Golden State won 96-82 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on the night of the expected return of Klay Thompson, who scored 17 points in 20 minutes and was important to win, although not as much as a Stephen Curry who excelled with 28 points. Draymond Green had a testimonial presence due to injury.

Long awaited night, unforgettable night, happy night for the Golden State Warriors . The San Francisco team enjoyed the return of Klay Thompson after 941 days of inactivity in the 96-82 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers , one they built from the 3s of Klay and Stephen Curry but also from defense despite not having Draymond Green .

Thompson was the main protagonist of the night: he had not been seen in a game since June 2019 and, although he did not have a flawless night, he looked too good for a player who was inactive for so long and suffered serious injuries to both legs during that time. He finished with 17 points in 20 minutes, playing four five-minute passes in each quarter, and also collected 3 defensive rebounds and distributed an assist. He shot 3-8 in triples and was more imprecise to define inside, with 4-10 in doubles, although he showed that he is impeccable from a physical point of view.

The great figure was Stephen Curry, with 28 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds , adding 14 of his points in a first quarter in which he shot 4-5 on triples: he did not hit another one in six more attempts but it did not matter. Kevon Looney also stood out with 6 points, 4 steals, 3 assists and 18 rebounds, a new personal record in the last category: 9 of them were in attack.

Jordan Poole added 14 points from the bench and the Mexican Juan Toscano-Anderson contributed 2 points, a steal, 3 assists and 4 rebounds in 19 minutes being practically a starter: he was the replacement that Steve Kerr chose for Draymond Green, who was injured in the movements before the game and was only part of the opening jump in homage to Thompson.

Cleveland felt that neither Darius Garland (9 points, 4 assists and 4 losses with 3-12 from the field) nor Kevin Love (2 points with 1-7 from the field) had good games : he did not reach with the 17 points of Lamar Stevens nor with the 15 points off the bench Rajon Rondo , most of them in the end to reduce a difference that had become 24 points.

Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Team 1 C 2 C 3C 4C Total
Golden state warriors 24 27 28 17 96
Cleveland Cavaliers twenty-one 25 14 22 82

First quarter:

Draymond Green was on the court for the opening jump to pay tribute to Klay Thompson on this special day, but he will not be part of the rest of the game because in the previous movements he suffered a calf contracture in his left leg. As soon as the game began, he committed an intentional foul to be replaced by Juan Toscano-Anderson.

Good way to get on his nerves for Thompson – he quickly got his first two points off a layup from the right flank, being assisted by Andrew Wiggins. The next possession he tried a triple from the axis and missed it.

Thompson lasted four and a half minutes on the court until he went to rest for the first time, with two points but 0-3 in triples. The Warriors haven’t been very clear on offense, focusing too much on looking for Klay while Curry scored the only pitch he tried. Cleveland takes advantage and wins 13-11 at the hands of Darius Garland, who already made two three-point shots.

Klay is resting, but the show is given by Stephen Curry! The Warriors star scored his first four attempts from the perimeter, has 14 points in eight minutes and Golden State wins by 22-15.

Cleveland 6-0 to close the first quarter: Mobley made his offense work, something that Jordan Poole did not achieve, remaining as the lynchpin of the game for the Warriors second unit who did not score a shot from the field in the final four minutes .

Second bedroom:

Curry returned to start the second period, but Cleveland continues to move closer on the scoreboard: The visitors now lose just 27-26 after a 3-pointer by Dylan Windler.

Otto Porter made a four-point play by hitting a layup and missing the extra free throw but correcting with the offensive rebound from his own missed shot. A possession that is a good summary of the chaos that the game is being in the second quarter, with the two teams playing at a very high pace although without such good execution. 35-28 for Golden State after the first four minutes of action.

The Warriors’ income remains at seven points with two minutes remaining until halftime, a difference that was known to be nine goals but also four recently. Lamar Stevens is doing a very good game for the Cavaliers, but for now the photo of the night he will be out is the one with Klay Thompson finishing the ball in front of him.

Klay took it upon himself to get the entire Chase Center on their feet at the end of the second period: he entered for Toscano for the final four minutes and 20 seconds and landed a tremendous crossover shot off Jarrett Allen and his first triple, scored at 45 degrees from the ring. In the closing he made a good defense on Garland, but they called a foul in what seemed like a clean plug.

Golden State wins 51-46 with 18 points from Curry (4-8 in triples after starting 4-4), 9 from Gary Payton II and 7 from Thompson with 3-9 from the field. Stevens already gave Cleveland 13 points, while Garland and Allen have 7 each.

Third quarter:
Klay came out recharged into the second half: in less than three minutes he already scored seven points, crowning this passage with a triple in a counterattack. 9-2 for the Warriors, who break away with a 60-48 lead and force JB Bickerstaff to call a timeout.

Thompson sat back down to rest after four minutes on the court, but it wasn’t just because of him that Golden State could dominate. Golden State is leading the third quarter 28-9 against one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, making it clear how it can dominate when it can attack in the open field. 79-56 just over two minutes from the last break, already with 26 points for Curry and 12 for Poole. In the final six minutes of action Cleveland made a solo shot.

The disadvantage that Cleveland will have to try to overcome in the fourth quarter is 19 points: with the return of their starters, the visitors improved a little at the end of the third period, achieving a 5-0 run, but they are still very far on the scoreboard.

Last room:
Thompson returned to the court for what is supposed to be his last passage in the game, but Rajon Rondo steals the attention now: the veteran point guard added 5 points for Cleveland who continues to approach on the scoreboard and at the same time is still far: 83-67 for Warriors with eight and a half minutes to play.

The Cavaliers’ quarter is now 15-4 and it is starting to generate nerves at Golden State, which saw its lead shrink to 85-75. Three triples! de Rondo have been the Cavaliers’ formula in this comeback attempt, with the former Lakers already accumulating 13 points and 4 assists in the game. An incorporation that pays quick dividends to Cleveland. Will the visitors’ effort be worth it or will Golden State slip away again? Curry just went to rest without having scored points in this period at the moment.

Thompson closed his game with his first assist (for Looney) and his third triple (again at 45 degrees from the rim, from the left side). The standing ovation for “Klay, Klay, Klay” was noticed at the Chase Center. Steph comes in to replace him heading into the final two and a half minutes, with Golden State leading 90-80.

Great defensive display of the Warriors in the final possessions, with a steal by Wiggins, a plug by Looney and a steal by Iguodala that ended up making the margin of difference of the win is 14 points.

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