The season was on the line for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they hosted the Golden State Warriors on Friday night. It was Game 4 of their NBA Finals matchup, and it was played in front of a sellout crowd of more than 20,000 fans at Quicken Loans Arena. The Warriors came into Friday's game with a perfect, 15-0 record in this year's playoffs, and a 3-0 lead in this series. They wanted to seal the deal in Game 4 and as they tried to become the first team in NBA history to win the title without a single loss in the playoffs.
The Cavaliers on the other hand, didn't want to get swept in front of their fans as they looked to extend the series and force game 5 back in Oakland.
Historic night for the Cavs
Cleveland came ready to play, and it was obvious from the opening tip. They opened up the game with an early 20-9 lead, as they ended up scoring 49 points in a huge first quarter. Cleveland held a 49-33 lead after the first 12 minutes of the game. They made seven three-pointers in the period and shot 58 percent from the field. The Cavaliers extended their lead up to 20 points midway through the second quarter (69-49) and at halftime the score was 86-68 for the home team.
Teams went back-and-forth in the third quarter as they traded baskets and scored at will almost. Heading into the fourth quarter, Cleveland had a 115-96 lead. The Cavs routinely closed out the game in the fourth quarter as they outscored Golden State 22-20 in the period.
The final score was 137-116 for the home team as they shot 53 percent from the field and held the Warriors to 44.8 percent shooting. Cleveland connected on 24 of their 45 three-point attempts as they set a new all-time record for most three-pointers made in a Finals game.
Cavaliers also finished with 27 team assists and forced the Warriors into 12 turnovers for the game.
They outrebounded Golden State 41-40 and shot 21-for-31 from the free-throw line.
Irving and James with monster games
Kyrie Irving was the leading scorer on Friday night. Irving finished with 40 points, and also added seven rebounds and four assists. He was 7-for-12 from behind the arc. LeBron James had his ninth career triple-double as he finished with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
Kevin Love contributed with 23 points and five rebounds.
For the Warriors, it was Kevin Durant again who led them in scoring. Durant scored 35 points in Game 4 and also added four rebounds and four assists. Draymond Green had 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Stephen Curry contributed with 14 points and 10 assists.
Golden State now has a 3-1 series lead, with game 5 scheduled for Monday night.
