The Cleveland Cavaliers squared off against the Golden State Warriors on Monday afternoon in what was their third Christmas Day meeting in as many years. The game was tight down to the wire, but it was also a bit sloppy.
The Cavs held a four point lead at the end of the first quarter (28-24), but turnovers and poor shooting allowed the Warriors to walk away with a 99-92 victory.
Just how bad was the Cavs’ shooting, you ask? According ESPN Stats & Info, Cleveland shot just 25 percent on their two-point field goal attempts, tying their second-lowest percentage in franchise history. They shot 3-24 in the second quarter alone (.125 percent).
The Cavs did manage to turn it on a bit in the second half. As a team, they finished Monday night’s game 21-of-88 from the field (31.8 percent) and a respectable 15-of-36 from beyond the arc (41.7 percent). Kevin Love, who finished with 31 points and a season-high 18 rebounds in 36 minutes of action, knocked down six of Cleveland’s three-point shots.
LeBron James finished Monday’s game with 20 points on 7-18 shooting (2-7 from downtown), six assists, and six rebounds. Jae Crowder played well, who was getting a first taste of the Cavs-Warriors rivalry, recorded 15 points and six rebounds.
Via Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com:
“It was a good game,” James said during his post-game media availability. “They kicked our butt in transition. And that was basically the tell-tale sign of the game for and the loss, obviously.”
Cleveland’s record moves to 24-10 with Monday’s loss. They’ll be looking for a rebound performance when they take on the Sacramento Kings inside the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. EST with Fox Sports Ohio having live broadcast coverage.
