Oakland, United States - Steph Curry scored 26 points and Klay Thompson added 21 to spark the Golden State Warriors over Cleveland 108-100 in over-time in Thursday's NBA Finals opener.
The Warriors improved to 47-3 at home this season in regular-season and playoff games, outscoring Cleveland 10-2 in the extra five-minute period, the Cavaliers making three turnovers and missing nine shots in over-time.
As tough as the loss was for Cleveland, even worse could be the blow to the left knee suffered by Kyrie Irving in over-time. The star guard limped off to the locker room, a grimace of pain on his face, after bumping Thompson's leg.
"I hate to see that. I hope he's OK," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "You want to see everybody healthy and everybody play."
LeBron James scored 44 points, his best-ever showing in an NBA Finals game, in a losing cause. The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player is playing in his fifth NBA Finals in a row, the last four with Miami before returning to his hometown club last July.
"We had five guys guarding him all night," Curry said. "We just had to stick with the game plan and trust in our guys."
The best-of-seven championship series will continue Sunday in Oakland before the clubs travel to Cleveland for games three and four.
Golden State seeks its first title in 40 years in their first NBA Finals appearance since 1975 while the Cavaliers are trying to bring the city of Cleveland its first champion in any major team sport since the NFL's 1964 Browns and end the longest such drought for any US city.
The first NBA Finals opener in 14 years to require over-time was deadlocked at 98-98 after regulation.
AFP
