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[av_heading heading=’Warriors ends Cavs’ hex with blowout win’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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OAKLAND – The Golden State Warriors emphatically snapped a four-game losing streak to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, using a 78-point, first-half explosion to crush the defending NBA champions 126-91.
Klay Thompson scored a game-high 26 points and Draymond Green recorded an 11-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double, propelling the Warriors to their first win over the Cavaliers since Game 4 of last year’s NBA Finals.
The triple-double was the third of the season for Green. He also blocked five shots.
The Cavaliers, swept by the Warriors in two games in the regular season last year and down 3-1 in the Finals, rallied to sweep the final three games en route to their first-ever NBA championship.
Cleveland extended its winning streak to four with a 109-108 home win over the Warriors on Christmas Day.
Golden State (35-6) took control immediately in the latest rematch, getting a layup from Stephen Curry, a 3-pointer from Thompson and a dunk from Kevin Durant in a 7-0, game-opening burst that prompted a Cavaliers timeout just 93 seconds into the game.
The Warriors led 37-22 after one quarter, and then turned the game into a blowout over the final 3:31 of the second period, using an 18-3 flurry to open a 78-49 halftime advantage.
Durant had seven points and Curry six in the runaway.
The second quarter included a flagrant-foul charge against Green for leveling LeBron James on a fastbreak.
Green was suspended for the pivotal Game 5 of the Finals last June because of the accumulation of technical and flagrant fouls, including one during a Game 4 run-in with James.
James finished with a team-high 20 points for the Cavaliers, who were completing an 11-day, six-game trip. Cleveland (29-11) split the six games, also losing at Utah and Portland.
Durant totaled 21 points, Curry 20 to go with 11 assists, Andre Iguodala 14 and Shaun Livingston 13 for the Warriors, who ran their record this season to 13-1 against Eastern Conference teams with a fourth consecutive win. (Reuters)
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