Warriors edge Cavaliers behind Draymond Green’s double-double

“But also understand that it’s one of 82 and I’m not going to put everything into this game (in terms of the result)”.

It’s one game at a time and at the end of the day it’s a regular-season game.So yeah, we haven’t talked about it at all.

Trouble, that is, for the rest of the league.

In the night’s other 12 games, San Antonio defeated Minnesota, Russell Westbrook scored 23 points, while Kevin Durant added 21, as OKC crushed Kobe Bryant’s Lakers and LeBron James tallied 24 points to lead Cleveland past NY. The Thunder had won three straight and 9 of 10. They did it with defense and Curry as the closer in a playofflike atmosphere.

Those inefficiencies carried over to the second half, when the Cavaliers couldn’t muster enough jump shooting to slide past a Warriors team that looked more composed and energized down the stretch thanks to its small-ball approach. James had back-to-back dunks to cut the Warriors’ lead to 81-75.

James missed two consecutive free throws that would have cut it to two with 1:32 remaining in the contest.

The Cavaliers, who fell to 19-8, were held to 31.6 percent shooting, including 5 for 30 from beyond the arc.

Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (right) dribbles past Alec Burks of Utah Jazz in their National Basketball Association game in Oakland, California, on Wednesday.

So, more desperation and hunger on the Cavs camp, which could lead them to an emphatic win. It’s good to get practice and experience in that type of game as well. “Honestly, I haven’t heard a single thing (about the Cleveland game) from any of them”. But I’m not going into the game like, ‘Oh, this is what we did to win that series’. By the end of the first quarter the shots were starting to fall. Their effective field goal percentage is a scary 56.2%, while hitting more 3-pointers than anyone else, and making them 42.3% of the time.

“I love how much our guys compete”, Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton said.

The officials let both teams play through contact early and the Warriors built a 28-19 lead after one behind 10 points and six rebounds from Green.

The Warriors have earned the right to approach this game any way they want to, as have the Cavaliers, and I imagine by the time they tip off the Warriors will have heard a bit about how the Cavaliers are finally healthy-after Kyrie Irving was hurt for most of the finals and Kevin Love was hurt for all of it. But Iguodala from off the bench was able to pester James, and Livingston scored 16 points on 8-for-9 shooting. But it’s also fair to ask if the fourth quarter defense will be as good when he’s on the floor closing games.

The battle, which will be the third game of the Christmas Day fixtures, is a repeat of last year’s NBA Finals, and everyone has been waiting for it since the beginning of the season.

Stephen Curry added 19 points and Klay Thompson had 18 for the Warriors, who improved to 28-1 by winning their 32nd straight regular-season home game.

Did he happen to notice any of the banners or signs outside Oracle saluting the Warriors NBA championship?