Cavs vs. Warriors: Score, results, highlights from Golden State's Christmas Day win

Jordan Greer

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Cavs vs. Warriors: Score, results, highlights from Golden State's Christmas Day win image

It certainly wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing game, but the Warriors protected home court at Oracle Arena with a 99-92 win over the Cavs in a hard-fought contest on Christmas Day.

With Stephen Curry (ankle) still sidelined, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson led Golden State all the way, combining for 49 points and 14 rebounds. Durant also challenged LeBron James down the stretch, though he may have gotten away with a few late fouls on the Cavs superstar.

MORE: Cavs vs. Warriors box score | Full NBA scoreboard

However, the Cavs can't complain much given their performance on the offensive end. While they hit at a 41.7 percent rate from the 3-point line, they shot only 31.8 percent from the field overall and struggled to work through the length of the Warriors inside. Kevin Love finished with 31 points and 18 rebounds while James had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Sporting News provided live updates below for the matchup between the Cavs and Warriors. Here's what you may have missed...

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Cavs vs. Warriors: Score, highlights, updates

Final: Warriors 99, Cavs 92

5:38 p.m. ET — The Cavs foul Klay Thompson to stop the clock with 18 seconds remaining in regulation, and he hits both free throws. Cleveland can't answer on the other end, and Thompson drills two more free throws to seal this one. 

5:31 p.m. ET — Following a review, Klay Thompson hits a big 3-pointer to put the Warriors ahead. Kevin Durant stops LeBron James on consecutive possessions to keep the lead intact — though he may have gotten away with a couple fouls.

5:25 p.m. ET — LeBron James ties it up with less than two minutes to go! A nice lefty finish makes it 92-92 on the scoreboard. Here they come, down the stretch.

5:15 p.m. ET — Draymond Green rejection... Draymond Green staredown... Kevin Durant leakout... Kevin Durant dunk. Warriors 85, Cavs 79 halfway through the fourth quarter.

5:10 p.m. ET — The Warriors continue to keep LeBron James in check. He's got 18 points, six rebounds and four assists, but he's shooting under 50 percent from the field and has turned the ball over five times. 

End of third quarter: Warriors 71, Cavs 67

4:56 p.m. ET — We've got a close one heading into the final frame. Kevin Love is keeping the Cavs in the game with 26 points and 17 rebounds. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson have combined for 35 points. No other Warriors player has hit double-digits. It's also been a relatively quiet LeBron James performance. Let's see what he does in the fourth quarter. 

Highlight of the third: Andre Iguodala finding the fountain of youth.

4:45 p.m. ET — It's all good for Stephen Curry. He knows Patrick McCaw has the floaters covered.

4:36 p.m. ET — There are a lot of arms there, Kevin Love. By the way, Kevin Durant now has nine consecutive games with multiple blocks.

4:31 p.m. ET — Some nice tic-tac-toe passing to start the half for the Warriors.

Halftime: Warriors 46, Cavs 44

4:10 p.m. ET — It hasn't been pretty, but the latest Cavs vs. Warriors battle has been entertaining. Kevin Durant leads all scorers with 14 points, and Klay Thompson has chipped in with 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Kevin Love finished the first half with a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds), and LeBron James has 10 points in 18 minutes. But the Cavs are shooting 29.2 percent from the field. Cleveland can't expect to win this game with that number.

4:01 p.m. ET — Kevin Durant drains the 3-pointer to give the Warriors their first lead of the afternoon. Durant has a game-high 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field.

3:55 p.m. ET — The Cavs are shooting less than 34 percent from the field, but the Warriors can't string together good possessions. They have 10 turnovers halfway through the second quarter. It's all tied up at 33 with 6:16 left in the first half.

3:48 p.m. ET — Guys keep falling for that old Dwyane Wade pump fake.

End of first quarter: Cavs 28, Warriors 24

3:38 p.m. ET — LeBron James leads the Cavs with nine points as Cleveland jumps out to an early lead. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson have combined for 18 of Golden State's 24 points, and Thompson has hit all three of his 3-point attempts.

3:30 p.m. ET — This is getting chippy. Kevin Durant and Draymond Green have each earned technical fouls in the first quarter. They better be careful. The officiating crew isn't in the mood for any bad attitudes.

3:21 p.m. ET — In case you were wondering, LeBron James can still dunk.

3:15 p.m. ET — Jae Crowder opens up the scoring with a 3-pointer. A little sloppy so far. Both teams are feeling each other out.

3:06 p.m. ET — When it's Year 15 and you're enjoying the best shooting season of your career...

2:57 p.m. ET — Small note prior to tipoff: Zaza Pachulia is available to play, but rookie Jordan Bell is getting the start against the Cavs. Could this be the new starting unit?

2:48 p.m. ET — Kevin Love is just here testing out the glass. Seems to be working fine.

2:32 p.m. ET — Check out Draymond Green's Christmas shoes. Yes, LeBron James will probably notice these.

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.