Warriors Take 2-0 Lead over Cavaliers

Golden State Warriors on Monday  took a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals with a dominant 132-113 victory over Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kevin Durant hit a game-high 33 points, while Stephen Curry recorded his first play-off triple-double, with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

LeBron James made a record-equalling eighth play-off triple-double.
The Warriors, who welcomed back coach Steve Kerr after missing 11 games through back issues, have now won a record 14 straight play-off games.

The visitors trailed by just three points at half-time at Oracle Arena, before the Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 35-24 in a decisive third quarter.

Golden State beat Cleveland in the 2015 finals but were 2-0 and then 3-1 up last year, only to let their lead slip as the Cavaliers won their first NBA title.

Kerr, a five-time NBA champion as a player, had been absent since game two of his side’s first play-off series against Portland Trail Blazers after suffering complications from back surgery in 2015.

Assistant Coach Mike Brown stepped in, completing 4-0 sweeps of Portland, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs to reach the finals, with Kerr only announcing his return for this game hours before tip-off.

“For him to be out there when he has a built-in excuse not to because of the incredible pain he’s under, it’s amazing. It motivates us to win for him,” said Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson, who hit 22 points.

Kerr, 51, led the Warriors to the 2015 title before last year’s defeat and said his side would have to play “smarter” in game three of the best-of-seven series, which takes place in Cleveland on Wednesday (02:00 BST on Thursday).
“We play that same game in Cleveland, there’s no way we win,” said Kerr.

A triple-double means a player has recorded a double-digit number in three of five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

Cavaliers small forward James, 32, made 29 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists to draw level with Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson on eight post-season triple-doubles. No other player has more than two.
“Right now, it means nothing, but it will mean something,” said James.

“He’s one of the greatest to play this game. When I’m done, I’ll probably look back on it and say it was a cool feat.”
With Curry also making a triple-double, it was only the second time in play-off history that opposing players have achieved the feat in the same game – the first coming in 1970 by New York Knicks’ Walt Frazier and Milwaukee Buck’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

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