Green, Robinson Lead Warriors Past Cavs, 131-112
CLEVELAND (AP) — Glenn Robinson III scored 22 points, Draymond Green tied a career high with 16 assists and the Golden State Warriors dominated the second half, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 131-112 on Saturday night in a matchup between teams at the bottom of the NBA standings.
Golden State (11-39) has the NBA's worst record while Cleveland (13-37) has the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference.
The matchup bore little resemblance to when the teams met in the NBA Finals every year from 2015-18. The Warriors won three times while the Cavaliers broke the city's 52-year championship drought in 2016.
The Warriors trailed 59-52 late in the second quarter, but went on a 53-19 run to take a 105-79 lead going into the fourth. Golden State scored 17 consecutive points — its biggest run of the season — to begin the game-changing spurt.
The Warriors hit a team-record 10 3-pointers in the third quarter when they outscored Cleveland 44-19, causing Cavaliers coach John Beilein to send his starters to the bench.
Green matched his high in assists while playing 26 minutes and scoring eight points. The Warriors had seven players in double figures, including D'Angelo Russell with 19 and Damion Lee with 18.
Collin Sexton scored 23 points while Kevin Love had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland.
Golden State, which has been plagued by injuries, broke a five-game losing streak and a stretch of 10 in a row on the road. Cleveland, in the early stages of a rebuilding process, has lost 10 straight at home and 15 of 18 overall.
The Warriors recorded their biggest margin of victory this season and won for the first time on the road since Dec. 6 against Chicago. The Cavaliers haven't won at home since beating Atlanta on Dec. 23.
The game had 11 lead changes and was tied seven times in the first half. The Warriors scored the final nine points and took a 61-59 lead on Lee's 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Warriors star guard Stephen Curry, who broke his hand in the fourth game of the season, could return in March. Curry was injured Oct. 30 and had surgery two days later.
Coach Steve Kerr said that Curry has been participating in non-contact and individual drills while also working on his conditioning.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Green, who gets booed in every trip to town, heard it again throughout the game. The boos grew louder when he sent Sexton to the floor with a hard foul in the second quarter. ..... F Kevon Looney (abdominal soreness) returned after missing 18 games. He scored two points in 12 minutes.
Cavaliers: Kevin Porter Jr. scored 19 points while Darius Garland had 15. ... Love played in his 700th career game..
UP NEXT
Warriors: Visit Washington on Monday. It will be the fourth stop on a five-game trip.
Cavaliers: Host New York on Monday. The Knicks are 2-1 against Cleveland this season.