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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- In the midst of a punishing road trip and
a monthlong slide, the Cleveland Cavaliers finally found an
opponent that's slumping and hurting even worse than they are.
Clarence Weatherspoon had five of his 22 points in the final two
minutes as the Cavs rallied to beat the Golden State Warriors
107-101 Monday for just their third victory in 13 games.
The remnants of two injury-plagued teams played an exciting
game, but the Warriors collapsed in the closing minutes after
holding a double-digit lead in the third quarter. Weatherspoon hit
9 of 13 shots, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked three shots and even
forced a critical turnover as the Cavs came from behind and then
held on.
"We've been on the road forever, and we've been playing a lot
of talented teams," Weatherspoon said. "We've been giving great
efforts, but most teams we have trouble matching on paper. That's
why our effort is so important."
Five Cavaliers scored in double figures as Cleveland won after
losing the first three games on its six-game Western road trip. The
Warriors gave up the lead they held throughout most of the second
half with 3:08 to play, and Andre Miller hit four late free throws
as Cleveland ended the game on an 18-6 run.
"We're a bit undersized right now, so every game is a defensive
challenge," Miller said. "Even though we've got so many injuries,
we found a team that we can match up with, and we turned up our
intensity at the end."
Lamond Murray, a Bay Area native, had 19 points and Miller added
17 and seven assists for the Cavs. Anthony Johnson had season-highs
of 16 points and six assists in his best game since Cleveland
traded Brevin Knight to Atlanta and made Johnson the backup point
guard.
The Warriors lost their fifth straight in their first home game
in nearly two weeks. Antawn Jamison had 26 points and 10 rebounds
for the Warriors, who had six injured players in street clothes on
their bench while remaining at the bottom of the Western
Conference.
"We had the game. There was no way we should have lost this
game," Jamison said. "We had a poor defensive effort. We have
guys who can defend, but we're just not getting it together. We're
making it easy for other teams, because it's not what they're
doing. It's us."
Golden State opened the second half with a 19-2 run that
included two 3-pointers by Chris Mullin, who played in just his
10th game since returning to Golden State this season. Mullin
finished with 13 points.
Cleveland slowly rallied behind Miller and Weatherspoon, who led
a small Cavs lineup. Coach Randy Wittman kept Chris Gatling and Jim
Jackson on the bench in favor of Robert Traylor and Johnson.
"I felt our defensive presence wasn't there," Wittman said.
"That group kept chipping away at the iceberg, knocking it down,
and I thought they should stay in."
With 2:10 left, Weatherspoon stole Bob Sura's pass and made a
layup. Moments later, he had a three-point play that put Cleveland
up 103-95 with 1:10 left.
"It looked like we ran out of gas at the end," Warriors coach
Dave Cowens said. "We don't have the size to match up with them,
but I thought we should have won that game."
Marc Jackson and Sura had 16 points apiece for the Warriors, who
had six players in double figures but got just five field goals in
the fourth quarter. Golden State lost for the sixth time in seven
games.
Larry Hughes, the Warriors' second-leading scorer, missed his
third straight game with a sprained right thumb.
Game notes
It was Kids' Day at Oakland Arena, and youngsters from the
Oakland Boys and Girls Club followed around many Warriors
employees. Junior PA announcer Elijah McAllister introduced the
Cavaliers, including a starting guard named "Andrew Miller." ...
Johnson hit all six of his shots and had four assists for Cleveland
in the second quarter. ... '90s rapper Hammer, an Oakland native,
was in attendance with his children. ... The game was the only
afternoon contest at Oakland Arena this season.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Golden State Clubhouse
RECAPS
New York 104
San Antonio 82
Milwaukee 101
Washington 95
Philadelphia 84
Charlotte 79
New Jersey 84
Atlanta 78
Sacramento 116
Dallas 105
Boston 107
Minnesota 102
Cleveland 107
Golden State 101
Indiana 89
LA Clippers 74
Orlando 113
Chicago 104
LA Lakers 113
Vancouver 112
Denver 122
Seattle 111
Utah 116
Houston 104
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Antawn Jamison Official Site
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