The Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers showdown on Friday was supposed to be a hotly contested game between two prospective contenders. It did not work out that way.
The Cavaliers utterly destroyed the Warriors in the first half of the contest at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavs took an already sizable 39-22 lead after the first quarter. But the home team showed little mercy as it continued to add on in a 44-20 second quarter.
Cleveland carried an 83-42 lead at halftime. The Cavs’ point total was the most the team has scored in a first half in franchise history.
Fans on X piled on the Warriors for looking like a JV team matched up against the senior squad Cavs.
Cavs doing Warriors things to the Warriors pic.twitter.com/84rvmshf5x
— Justin Rowan (@Cavsanada) November 9, 2024
Y’all see what happens when the Warriors face an actual good healthy Team🤣 pic.twitter.com/WWLFsEqd4U
— LeBron__legacy 👑 🐐 (@LeBron__legacy) November 9, 2024
Cavs x Warriors: pic.twitter.com/qlojY90nGn
— NBA da bad (@NBAdabad) November 9, 2024
Warriors
6-1 fluke start last year, missed playoffs
7-1 fluke start this year, WILL MISS THE PLAYOFFS pic.twitter.com/NY4V1h2fSn
— Wizely 🫥🌙 (@Wizelycook) November 9, 2024
Even Cleveland’s bench players like Ty Jerome could not miss against Golden State. Jerome tallied 13 points and 3 threes on a perfect 5/5 shooting clip through two quarters — and Cavs fans were loving it.
Cavs fans watching Ty Jerome cook the Warriors pic.twitter.com/ZirDFhYbhI
— Conald Peterson (@WhyGarth) November 9, 2024
The Warriors entered Friday with a 7-1 record, tied for best in the Western Conference. But the 9-0 Cavaliers simply outclassed their longtime rivals. Cleveland shot a scorching-hot 14/22 from three-point range in the first half to bury Golden State in such a deep hole.
The Warriors tried to battle back in the second half, trimming the lead to as little as 18. But given that no NBA team has ever come back from over 36 points down, it’s no surprise that Golden State still lost 136-117.
