Warriors going home with chance to repeat as champs

Steven J. Gaither

Warriors going home with chance to repeat as champs image

Fans finally got a close game in the NBA Finals … at least through three quarters.

The Warriors wore down the Cavaliers late Friday, and came away with a 108-97 victory in Game 4 to move one win away from a second consecutive NBA championship.

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Golden State finally got an MVP-type game from Stephen Curry, who finished with 38 points and had six assists to help his team to a 3-1 lead as the series shifts back to Oakland on Monday night. They also got a solid contribution from Klay Thompson, who scored 25 points on 7-for-14 shooting.

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Cleveland held a 55-50 halftime lead, but the Warriors started to heat up in the second half and led 79-77 after the third quarter.

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The Warriors hit an NBA Finals-record 17 3-pointers, with 11 of them coming from Curry and Thompson.

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History says the Cavaliers are finished; teams that have gone down 3-1 in the NBA Finals are 0-32.

Tweet of the Night

Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 34 points, including these two on a sensational move against Curry.

Stud of the Night

Curry had his best game of the NBA Finals so far, scoring 38 points and hitting seven 3-pointers. 

Dud of the Night

LeBron James was statistically productive, putting up 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, but he was too passive for much of the game.

Looking ahead

Cavaliers at Warriors, 9 p.m. ET Monday (Golden State leads series 3-1): The Warriors celebrated last year's NBA title on the Cavaliers' floor. If they take care of business in Game 5, they can party in their own locker room this time. 

Steven J. Gaither