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REVEALED: Stark Contrast in Help For Stephen Curry and Donovan Mitchell Resulted in Cavs’ Domination in Oakland

Published 11/11/2023, 11:23 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

In their second showdown this week, the Golden State Warriors clashed once again with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Unfortunately, for the Warriors fans, the game delivered a similar result. Despite a respectable performance by Stephen Curry, the Warriors succumbed to The Land. Although GSW started strong, they accumulated just 21 points in the second quarter; in contrast to the Cavs’ 38 points. Regardless, true to their signature style, the Warriors mounted one of their classic third-quarter comebacks. Yet, their efforts fell short, resulting in a 110-118 defeat.

As the fourth quarter unfolded, the two teams remained neck and neck; Cavs leading 84-83. Moreover, it became evident what was working well for the Cavaliers, particularly their backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. On the other hand, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry struggled to ignite the expected fireworks evenly.

Stephen Curry needed more help on the backcourt

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The Cleveland Cavaliers held a steady lead over the Warriors throughout most of the game. By the midway point of the fourth quarter, 6 Cavaliers players had notched double-digit points.

Leading the charge for the Warriors was Curry, who amassed an impressive 30 points. Donovan Mitchell, on the other hand, contributed 17 points; with his first points of the fourth quarter not coming until nearly six minutes into the period. As the Warriors attempted to overcome the constant deficit, Mitchell received valuable assistance in the backcourt from Darius Garland.

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As the game unfolded, Klay Thompson began to exhibit signs of regaining his rhythm. He managed to sink 3 out of 5 buckets, adding 9 more points to his tally. However, it’s crucial to note that the Warriors suffered a setback when Draymond Green was ejected in the middle of the third quarter. Earlier, he had picked up a technical foul just before halftime.

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The Cavaliers have now achieved a clean sweep over the Warriors in the season series, marking their first since the inception of Warriors’ modern-day dynasty.

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Warriors’ shooting struggles cost them their 4th loss

The Warriors connected on 37 of their 90 field goal attempts while shooting at a mere 34.2% from beyond the arc. In contrast, the Cavaliers, although holding a slight advantage, demonstrated a more efficient shot selection. Despite being outrebounded, the visiting team capitalized on 13 more trips to the free-throw line; giving them an immediate 10-point edge on the stat sheet.

During the game, Stephen Curry surpassed his 22,000 career points mark. However, the Warriors’ shooting woes were evident. Even though Curry scored 30, he did so on a 9-24 shooting clip. Furthermore, he remained scoreless in the fourth quarter, attempting only 3 shots in the period.

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While Jonathan Kuminga contributed 12 points off the bench, Caris LeVert outshone him with 22 points; marking the highest point total by a bench player against the Warriors this season.

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Written by:

Saahil Dhillan

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Saahil Dhillan is an NBA Writer at Essentially Sports. He has been writing articles and blogs for 5 years now, including those for a sports brand that manufactures knee braces, for a Red Bull athlete in 2019 and for a documentary of an Ultra Running Coach in 2021. There’s plenty Saahil can write about why he likes basketball, having followed the NBA for more than 10 years, but he is most keen on picking out various offense/defense strategies, on/off-court decisions, roster changes in crunch time and other underrated key elements that leave an impact on the scoreboard.
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Edited by:

Saumya Khanduja