NBA: Irving again delivers dagger as Cavs top Warriors
Tristan Thompson #13 sets a pick as Kyrie Irving #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives around Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena on December 25, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Warriors 109-108. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice. Getty Images/AFP
LOS ANGELES—Kyrie Irving’s turnaround jump shot over Klay Thompson with 3.4 seconds left lifted the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-108 Christmas Day triumph over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
The rematch of last June’s NBA Finals highlighted the league’s holiday slate, and didn’t disappoint.
BACKSTORY: Champion Cavs host Warriors in NBA holiday treat
The Cavaliers — who rallied from 3-1 down in the championship series last season to deny the Warriors a second straight title — trailed most of the game and were down by as many as 14 earlier in the fourth quarter.
LeBron James’s rim-rattling dunk with 1:43 to play put Cleveland up 105-103 — their first lead since early in the first quarter — and Irving capped the comeback with a clutch shot that recalled his championship-winning three-pointer in the final minute of game seven last June.
A beaming Irving said it was the perfect holiday treat.
“Going against a great team like the Warriors, emotions are high,” he said. “A lot of great players on the floor at once, it’s just great competition, great basketball.
“It’s nothing like the playoffs,” Irving added, “but the intensity was up there. This is what you want to be a part of as a professional.”
Irving finished with 25 points, while James had 31 points and 13 rebounds. Kevin Love had 20 points and six rebounds for the Cavs.
Kevin Durant, who arrived at Golden State as a free agent in the off-season, was superb in his first appearance in the Warriors-Cavs rivalry.
READ: LeBron’s Cavs, Durant-led Warriors favored as season begins
Durant scored 36 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. But after Irving’s key basket he was unable to get off a potentially game-winning shot, getting tangled with Richard Jefferson and hitting the floor. No foul was called and time ran out.
Klay Thompson scored 24 points and Draymond Green added 16 despite foul trouble.
NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry scored 15 points but connected on just four of 11 from the floor. It was a modest showing for the prolific Curry, but his three-pointer with 1:14 to play put Golden State up 108-105.
Curry gestured to the Cleveland crowd in celebration, but it proved to be too soon.
James had scored 15 points in the third quarter to keep the Cavaliers in touch and Irving added 14 in the fourth.
It was the 18th meeting in the last 24 months between these two heavyweights, who have battled in the past to championship series.
They will meet again in January on the Warriors’ home floor in Oakland.
The contest headlined the NBA’s five-game Christmas Day slate.
The Boston Celtics opened the action with a 119-114 victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, where Marcus Smart’s tie-breaking three-pointer with 47.8 seconds to play helped the visitors thwart the Knicks’ comeback bid.
In other games, the San Antonio Spurs hosted the Chicago Bulls, the Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Clippers and Lakers squared off in a Los Angeles cross-town duel.
