Cleveland Cavaliers (48-29) beat Golden State Warriors (36-41) 118-111 on the road on Thursday, April 2.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Cavaliers had the better start, winning the first 30-26 to lead by 4 after one. The Cavaliers kept the pressure on with a 24-21 second quarter, carrying a 7-point lead into halftime.
The Warriors won the third 33-30 to stay in front, taking a 4-point lead into the fourth. The Cavaliers took the fourth 34-31; the Cavaliers finished the job for a 118-111 regulation win.
What decided it
The Cavaliers got more from their shots, finishing at 61% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50% for the Warriors. The Cavaliers made 22 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 18.1 for the Warriors. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Warriors did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 11.7 against 15.2. The Cavaliers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 101 possessions per team, the Cavaliers produced 117.3 points per 100 possessions to 110.3 for the Warriors.
Who made the difference
Brandin Podziemski was the game's biggest individual force for GSW: 25 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast on 9-15 shooting. His Game Score of 21.9 led everyone. His team was -11 with him on the floor.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 25 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast on 7-14 shooting, good for a 19.2 Game Score.
Evan Mobley (12 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast) and Jarrett Allen (16 pts, 13 reb, 0 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 58% for the Cavaliers.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Cleveland Cavaliers lead 2-1.
The Cavaliers are now 48-29, and the Warriors are 36-41. The Cavaliers last five before this game: W-L-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.