Kevin Durant scored a game-high 38 points and Stephen Curry hit six three-pointers as the Golden State Warriors cruised to a lopsided 113-91 win in the first game of the NBA Finals on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The highly-anticipated meeting between the defending champion Cavaliers and the top-seeded Warriors did not disappoint initially, with sensational dunks by LeBron James and Durant during a see-sawing first quarter.<\/p>\n
But the wheels came off quickly for the visiting Cavaliers in the second half, with Durant sinking a three-pointer and Warriors center Zaza Pachulia hitting a lay-up on their way to a 10-0 run.<\/p>\n
The final outcome was all but a formality by the start of the fourth quarter as the Warriors forged 21 points ahead.<\/p>\n
The Warriors, who had not played in nine days, were rusty at the outset, missing shots close to the basket and looking anxious when they had possession.<\/p>\n
“Our first half was sloppy on the offensive end, we were missing a lot of lay-ups,” said Curry.<\/p>\n
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“A little gun shy with our shots. But our defense allowed us to create some momentum until we got our flow.”<\/p>\n
But the Cavaliers hurt themselves with 20 turnovers, tying an NBA record for a playoff or Finals game.<\/p>\n
The Warriors, meanwhile, committed just four, tying the record for the fewest in a Finals game.<\/p>\n
The Warriors and Cavaliers are meeting in their third consecutive Finals, a matchup many predicted when the season began after Golden State signed Durant in a blockbuster move.<\/p>\n
The Warriors won the 2015 championship but let a 3-1 lead slip last year as James’s Cavaliers finally brought the Larry O’Brien trophy back to Ohio.<\/p>\n
The Warriors know better than to relax against James and their rivals, Durant said.<\/p>\n
“We\u2019re playing a great team, we’re playing the champs. You know they\u2019re not going to give up at all,” he said on court.<\/p>\n
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The Warriors improved their postseason record to an unprecedented 13-0 while the Cavaliers suffered just their second loss since the playoffs began in mid-April.<\/p>\n
“It wasn’t just the third quarter, it was the whole game,” James, who gave up eight turnovers, told reporters after the Cavaliers were outscored by 13 points in the period.<\/p>\n
“It started with myself having some turnovers, especially in the first half. I pride myself on not turning the ball over and I did it too much.”<\/p>\n
When asked what was different about the Warriors compared to their two previous Finals, James was succinct.<\/p>\n
“K.D.,” he said, referring to Durant.<\/p>\n
“We got to figure out how to combat that, which is going to be a tough challenge for us,” he said.<\/p>\n
The teams will meet again in Oakland on Sunday for Game Two of the best-of-seven series.<\/p>\n