After a sluggish start, the Golden State Warriors came alive to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-101.
Stephen Curry took the lead with 33 points, while reserve Juan Toscano-Anderson scored a career-high 20 points in the victory, giving the Dubs their first four-game winning streak of the season.
The Warriors took control of the game in the second quarter and managed to keep the Cavs for most of the game. Golden State shot 51.1 percent from the field and outscored the larger Cleveland team 47-39.
The Dubs click at the right time while trying to close a play position. The energy and defense were better during the finish line. Both must continue during the stretch of the schedule.
It was good to see that Toscano-Anderson had a breakout game. He has been working hard for a few minutes to earn himself and shows improvement across the board. JTA is eight-of-nine off the field and finishes with seven rebounds.
Juan is a great passer and playmaker, so if there is room on the floor and shooters on the perimeter, he just understands how to run and slide and fake a DHO like you saw when he sampled that monster had, “said head coach Steve Kerr. . “He is very smart. He really understands the game at a high level. I think when he had consistent minutes for us this year, he was great, especially in smaller setups. ”
It was a poor start for the Warriors. They missed their first five three-point attempts and trailed 17-6 less than five minutes into the game. But the Dubs’ energy began to increase to end the quarter.
Draymond Green threw down this nasty dunk to get things going.
Toscano-Anderson was also a big reason why things started to turn around. He scored eight points off the bench in the first quarter and helped Golden State reduce the deficit to 31-28.
The Warriors came out with authority to start the second. Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins scored 14 points together in the first five minutes of the quarter and helped the Dubs take an eleven-point lead, and they never looked back.
Golden State dominated Cleveland throughout the quarter. The Cavs could not get anything offensive going and were held for just 21 points during the period. The Warriors’ energy was much better in the quarter and led 63-52.
It was a different story in the third. The Cavaliers sharpened defensively matters and began to shake off the backlog, returning within four points. But Curry turned things around and scored eight points on the right for the Warriors, helping them increase the lead back to ten in the fourth.
The Warriors are finally back at 0.500 for the season and are only ninth in the Western Conference.
Golden State will try to extend its winning streak to five when it tackles the Boston Celtics on Saturday.