The Warriors, without their stars, won in Cleveland on a deluge of three-point shots

Although deprived of four of its stars, Golden State, led by Jordan Poole, produced a demonstration of three-point shooting in Cleveland on Friday, with 23 successful attempts, to secure a convincing victory (120 -114).

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green did not participate in the meeting, a day after the heartbreaking defeat of the reigning NBA champions in overtime against the Celtics in Boston (121-118).

But thanks to Poole’s 32 points and Ty Jerome’s 22 points, the Warriors got their first road win this season against a team with a positive record.

They set the pace by making seven of eight three-pointers in the first quarter, and their 14 three-pointers in the first half were the most by a Cleveland opponent in a half game.

Cleveland cut their deficit to four points with two minutes remaining, but Jerome quickly made another three-point shot to seal Golden State’s stranglehold.

“It was just a night where a group of guys came in and played with confidence, played with energy,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose team climbed to 7th in the Conference. West after a disastrous start.

– Kerr wants fewer matches –

“When you get a win like this, and everybody feels good about their own game, it gives you a little boost,” the former Cleveland fullback said.

Kerr suggested he left his starters on the bench, saying injured players needed to be given a chance to rest or avoid the risk of an injury that could hurt the rest of their season or the playoffs.

“I feel bad for the fans who buy tickets and hope to see someone play,” said the Warriors coach.

“It’s a brutal aspect of the business. So I will continue to push for 72-game seasons” versus 82 currently, he explained.

Darius Garland scored 21 points for Cleveland, which was again without Donovan Mitchell with a groin injury.

Cleveland coach JB Bickerstaff said the problem isn’t a missing Cavs player but the attitude of his troops.

“We didn’t respect the game. It’s as simple as that,” Bickerstaff lamented. “They have champions there, and we thought with some of those guys missing we could take the game for granted and we got what we deserved.”

– Doncic on his journey –

The Los Angeles Lakers beat Memphis (122-121), thanks to a decisive finish from their German point guard Dennis Schröder, which ended the Grizzlies’ 11-game winning streak.

Russell Westbrook (29 points) and LeBron James (23 points) had their usual influence on the performance of the Lakers, in 13th position in the East but seemingly able to hang the play-offs with 36 games left.

In Dallas, MVP contender Luka Doncic scored 34 points, making five of eight three-point attempts in the Mavericks’ massive victory, fifth in the East against Miami, seventh in the West (115 -90).

The Slovenian added 12 rebounds and seven assists. The Mavs, solid on defense, ended a three game winless streak.

On the Heat side, if Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro scored 18 and 16 points respectively, star Jimmy Butler was limited to 12 points.

Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a win over the San Antonio Spurs (131-126).

In Atlanta, the Hawks managed to win against the New York Knicks (139-124).

Dejounte Murray scored 29 points and Trae Young added 27 points for the Hawks, who pulled away in the final quarter.

Julius Randle’s 32 points for New York had all been accomplished before that.

The Orlando Magic, 13th in the East, also finished strong, outscoring the New Orleans Pelicans, 4th in the West, in the final quarter for a crucial home victory (123-110). .