Feb 15, 2021; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) controls the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman (16) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen Curry had 36 points in 30 minutes and Draymond Green tied his career-high with 16 assists Monday night, lifting the Golden State Warriors to a 129-98 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in San Francisco.
In a matchup of the NBA finalists for four years in a row from 2015-18, Curry shot 13-for-19 from the field and 7-for-11 on 3-pointers en route to his game-high point total.
It was his 10th straight game with at least 27 points on 50 percent or better shooting as he became the first guard since Michael Jordan (1995-96) with at least 25 points and 50 percent shooting in 10 straight games.
Green assisted on nine of Curry’s 13 hoops. The 16-assist effort was the fourth of his career, including one the last time the Warriors faced the Cavaliers last February in Cleveland.
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Facing a team playing the second night of a back-to-back, the Warriors gradually pulled away from the road-weary visitors.
The difference was just 10 before Curry and Mychal Mulder hit 3-pointers to trigger an eight-point run midway through the third period that put Golden State in command at 90-72.
Golden State led 101-84 at period’s end, and neither Curry nor Green played in the final quarter.
Green added six points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes. He had been considered questionable for the game after injuring his knee in the first half of Saturday’s home loss to Brooklyn.
Andrew Wiggins added 15 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Eric Paschall 14 apiece, Juan Toscano-Anderson 13 and Mulder 12 for the Warriors, who improved to 9-4 this season in the game immediately following a loss.
Backcourt mates Collin Sexton had 23 points and Darius Garland 16 for the Cavaliers, who lost their eighth straight.
Cedi Osman (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Jarrett Allen (13 points, 14 rebounds) recorded double-doubles for Cleveland, which announced before the game that it would sit center Andre Drummond indefinitely in anticipation of a trade before the March 25 deadline.
The Cavaliers led by as many as five points in the first half, taking their biggest advantage at 46-41 on a Garland layup just before the midpoint of the second period.
But the Warriors finished the half on a 23-8 run, with Curry contributing eight of his 24 first-half points.
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–Field Level Media