Friday NBA Roundup: Warriors Rolling Ahead of Finals Rematch with Cavaliers

To paraphrase the late, great Dennis Green, the Golden State Warriors are who we thought they were: the NBA’s leanest, meanest winning machine.

Golden State extended its league-best record to 27-4 on Friday with a gritty 119-113 victory over the Detroit Pistons in what will be their final trip to the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Native Michigander Draymond Green could barely buy a bucket all night. He clanked all six of his three-point attempts and didn’t scratch from the field until the one minute, 31-second mark of the fourth quarter. But that dunk off a Klay Thompson pass gave the Dubs a 112-110 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

In Green’s defense, he was a bit rusty. He missed Golden State’s win in Brooklyn on Thursday to see his son, Draymond Jr.—whose birth he watched via FaceTime en route to San Francisco—before catching an overnight flight to the Motor City.

Today at 3:55am PST Draymond Jamal Green was welcomed into the world! I’ve never experienced such a feeling like I did when I watched his entry. Family is such an important part of my life and to welcome a kid into this world is a dream come true. @jaykay35 you were a soldier and I appreciate you more than you will ever know! My baby girl Kyla was there and slept through the entire thing but she was also a soldier through the whole process and will be a great big sister! It’s been a long time coming and it has finally come where we welcome Draymond Jr. Into the world! I am super thankful and overjoyed!!! Thanks to my Mama & mother in law Jackie for holding it down until I made it!

A photo posted by Draymond Green (@money23green) on Dec 22, 2016 at 1:04pm PST

Despite his exhaustion, Green found other ways to impact the game. He led Golden State with 10 rebounds and 12 assists, falling five points shy of his second triple-double in 2016-17.

While it may not be easy being Green, having superstar teammates like his all but eliminates any scoring burden he’d otherwise bear.

Kevin Durant piled up 32 points on 13-of-18 shooting in Detroit. Stephen Curry imitated Durant’s stride to the hoop, then closely copied his scoring efficiency to the tune of 25 points on 15 attempts to go along with eight assists. 

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Klay Thompson chipped in 17 points, but the sharpest shooting night of all came from…JaVale McGee? Granted, the Shaqtin’ A Fool favorite only took layups and dunks, though 15 points on 6-of-7 from the field looks good regardless of where the points come from.

The Warriors’ win doubled as their 21st game of the season scoring 110 points or more. Beyond another impressive output, it was far from Golden State’s sharpest effort—though the result was a marked improvement over last season’s 113-95 loss in Michigan.

The Pistons turned 12 steals and 23 total Warriors turnovers into 33 points. They outscored Golden State in the paint (54-46) and on the break (19-12) while shooting better than 50 percent from the field. Tobias Harris torched the Warriors for 26 points off the bench, with Andre Drummond (15 points), Reggie Jackson (17 points, six assists) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (25 points) all landing in double figures.

Golden State will have to be better on both ends if it’s going to extend its current winning streak to eight games. The Warriors’ next tilt is the marquee game of Christmas Day: the season’s first face-off with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who erased a 3-1 series deficit to upend that 73-win squad in the 2016 Finals.

The current Cavs won’t be whole for that matchup. They’ll once again be without J.R. Smith, whose fractured right thumb could keep him out of action until April.

“We’re going to miss J.R., his effort on defense, his tough shot making,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “But it’s no excuses for us. It’s next man up, and we’ve got to be ready to play. We’ve got to do it by committee. I think our guys are ready to step up to the challenge.”

Cleveland didn’t need much help from Smith’s spot in stomping the Brooklyn Nets at Quicken Loans Arena, 119-99. Between DeAndre Liggins (who started for Smith), Mike Dunleavy and Iman Shumpert, the Cavaliers squeezed 24 points out of their available shooting guards.

Dunleavy wound up as one of seven Cavs in double figures. Two nights after setting a career high with 13 assists, Kyrie Irving (13 points, 10 assists, five rebounds) tied his personal best with six steals. LeBron James led all Cavs in points (19) and minutes (27). Kevin Love logged his 17th double-double (14 points, 15 rebounds) in 25 minutes.

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