The Golden State Warriors were handed yet another embarrassing defeat, losing 113-95 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers have now claimed the two-game season series in their favor with wins both at home and away against the Warriors. Tonight’s game was yet another example of just how bad Golden State has been in the last few weeks.
Darius Garland had yet another strong showing, delivering 25 points (10-17 FG), three rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. Donovan Mitchell was the star of the show for the Cavaliers once again, putting up 23 points (9-19 FG), three rebounds, and four assists. Dean Wade impressed with a double-double, with 10 points (4-7 FG), 13 rebounds, one steal, and two blocks.
As for the Warriors, Moses Moody led the team in scoring, coming off the bench with 19 points (7-8 FG), two rebounds, one assist, and two steals. Jonathan Kuminga also came off the bench to deliver 18 points (4-15 FG), 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. Stephen Curry had a shockingly poor game, with 11 points (4-14 FG), two rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.
The Warriors looked terrible against the Cavaliers, not even putting up a strong fight. Considering that their two highest scorers were their underutilized young players in Moody and Kuminga shows just how weak their top names were. It is difficult to understand what has gone wrong for the Golden State Warriors.
With all that said, here are three reasons the Cavaliers destroyed the Warriors.
Mitchell And Garland Take Over
Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland continue to make the case for themselves as the best backcourt pairing in the NBA. The pair combined for 48 of the Cavaliers’ 113 points on the night, scoring 42.4% of the team’s points. They have both been absolutely phenomenal this year and are sure to earn All-Star nominations.
The pair went a combined 19-36 from the field and 8-19 from the three-point line, showing that they aren’t just great scorers, but are also incredibly efficient. Their ability to shoulder the load for their team on a nightly basis has been nothing short of spectacular, and it wouldn’t be hyperbolic to say that they are the two biggest reasons behind the Cavaliers’ electric start to the season.
Going forward, the Cavaliers will hope that their two guards can continue this form and help improve the team as much as possible. Mitchell and Garland have to be on top of their game if the Cavs want to make some noise in the playoffs and make a potential NBA Finals run.
Warriors Can’t Convert From Deep
The Golden State Warriors put up yet another putrid performance from the three-point line. As a team, they went 9-38 from deep, converting just 24.2% from the range. It was an absolutely appalling showing from a team that has built its reputation over its last few years as an elite three-point shooting team.
The Warriors starting lineup went 6-22 from deep, and the bench went 3-16 from range. It is completely bizarre to see a team with so many great shooters perform so poorly from range. Something has affected the team’s shooting ability, and it is hard to discern or identify what exactly that is.
Stephen Curry accounted for eight of their 22 misses on the night. For the greatest shooter in the history of the sport, that is absolutely unacceptable. This is far from the first poor outing he has delivered this season, and it begs the question – what is happening with Stephen Curry? He must improve, otherwise, this slump for the Warriors will not improve anytime soon.
Stephen Curry Underwhelms Again
Speaking of Stephen Curry, he didn’t just disappoint from the three-point line. He shot just 4-14 from the field, meaning that he only made one two-point shot out of the three he attempted. Combining this with just two rebounds and three assists, it is one of the worst performances of his career.
Over his last six games, Stephen Curry has averaged 19.0 points, 5.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 38.6% from the field, 34.3% from the three-point line, and 92.3% from the free-throw line. It has been a bad run by one of the greatest players ever.
The Warriors need Curry to figure things out again. Aside from his incredible performance against the Lakers on Christmas day, Stephen Curry has been quite poor. And without him playing at the highest level possible, the Warriors will continue to flounder going forward.
In their last 10 games, the Warriors have lost seven games. It has been one of the worst stretches for the Warriors when they have a fully healthy team. This is in stark contrast to how well they started this season. Golden State has gone from one of the best teams in the NBA and being on top of the Western Conference to now struggling to hold on to a play-in spot.
The Warriors will have to focus on their next game now, when they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, January 2nd, at 10 PM EST. The Warriors cannot afford to take the 76ers lightly, who have won five of their last six games, and looking like they are building strong momentum after a terrible start to the season.
