Warriors at Cavaliers
The Golden State Warriors matched their longest winning streak of the season in dominating fashion on Friday and are looking to continue a surge up the Western Conference standings by picking on the East. The Warriors will begin a seven-game road trip through Eastern Conference opponents at the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. The Cavaliers are dealing with some internal strife from center Andrew Bynum and suffered their fourth straight loss on Saturday.
Golden State is just 7-9 on the road but will play five teams with losing records on the trip and is asserting itself on the defensive end of late. “Contrary to popular belief, we are a very good defensive team,” coach Mark Jackson said. The Warriors held the Phoenix Suns to a season-low point total and 36 percent shooting in a 115-86 victory on Friday - the 13th time this season they have held an opponent under 40 percent from the field. Cleveland is not quite as sharp defensively and has allowed at least 100 points in eight straight.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), FSN Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (18-13): Golden State is holding opponents to an average of 88.3 points during its winning streak but the big performance in Friday’s triumph came on the offensive end, where Stephen Curry recorded his third career triple-double with 14 points, 16 assists and 13 rebounds. “He was spectacular,” Jackson said of Curry. “Awfully impressive running the team, kept his foot on the gas pedal, rebounding the basketball, defending at a high level, made shots. The guy is playing at an all-time level for himself and that’s saying a lot.” Curry is shooting just 31.7 percent over the last four games but is making up for it by averaging 11 assists and contributing at the defensive end.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (10-19): The assignment of stopping Curry will likely fall to Kyrie Irving, who went for 32 points on Saturday to give himself 30 or more in five of the last nine games. Cleveland found itself in a big hole at Boston and could not climb all the way out, suffering a 103-100 loss. The Cavaliers were without Bynum in that game and will be missing the center again on Sunday after he was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team. “It’s a terrible situation internally with our team,” Irving told reporters. “It’s something we have to get over.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Warriors have taken five straight in the series by an average of 12.2 points.
2. Golden State F David Lee had a string of 10 straight double-doubles come to an end when he recorded 17 points and seven rebounds on Friday.
3. Cleveland is 8-6 in its own building but has dropped three of its last four at home.