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Cavaliers-Warriors Preview
Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors
- Golden State has won three straight versus Cleveland, all by 10-plus points, but the Cavaliers have won four of the last five meetings in Oakland.
- The Cavaliers beat the Clippers on Monday night in Los Angeles, 108-101, to even their record at 2-2. Almost half of their 108 points came from their starting backcourt of Kyrie Irving (24 points -- 16 in 1st quarter) and Dion Waiters (28 points -- 7 three-pointers).
- The Warriors lost 94-92 at Sacramento on Monday night and are 2-2 on the season. Three of Golden State's four games have been decided by four points or less.
- Kyrie Irving's 16 points in the first quarter on Monday in Los Angeles was the most first-quarter points scored by a Cavaliers' player since LeBron James (23 points in first quarter on February 6, 2010 vs. New York). The 16 first-quarter points are also tied for the most in the NBA this season (Carmelo Anthony, NY November 2, 2012 vs. Mia).
- Dion Waiters' seven three-pointers on Monday are tied for the most in an NBA game this season (O.J. Mayo, Dal November 3 vs. Cha). Waiters is the first rookie with seven three-pointers in a game since Dallas' Rodrigue Beaubois on March 27, 2010 at Golden State (9 3's).
- Stephen Curry, Carl Landry and Klay Thompson all lead the Warriors with exactly 16.5 points per game. Curry is shooting a dismal 32.3 percent (21-for-65) from the field on the season.
By MATT BEARDMORE
(AP) -- The Cleveland Cavaliers' young backcourt just carried them to victory.
The Golden State Warriors' two young guards both came up just short.
Cleveland continues a season-high six-game trip Wednesday night when the Warriors go for their first home win of the season.
Led by seven 3-pointers and 28 points - both season highs - from rookie shooting guard Dion Waiters, and 24 and 10 assists from reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers (2-2) avoided a third loss with Monday's 108-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Waiters' 3s were the most by a Cav since Daniel Gibson's seven versus Utah on Dec. 20, 2010.
"When you have somebody going like that you just sit back and watch," Irving said of Waiters, whose 16.3 scoring average is second on Cleveland to Irving's 23.8.
The Warriors (2-2) watched Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry launch shots in the final seconds on Monday at Sacramento, but both missed and they fell 94-92.
"I thought it was in," Sacramento's Chuck Hayes said of Curry's 3-point attempt at the buzzer. "When Klay Thompson shot the other one, I thought it was good. Those are two guys when the ball leaves their hands, you think it's good."
Thompson and Curry are tied for the team lead with 10 3s, but they're shooting a combined 35.2 percent from the floor. Curry missed 12 of 15 attempts on Monday when the Warriors hit 39.7 percent as a team.
"The shots I'm not worried about - they'll fall," Jackson said of Curry, who finished with a season-best eight assists.
Plenty of shots have been falling against the Cavs, whose opponents have hit half their field-goal attempts.
"The only disappointment is that we allowed them to shoot such a high percentage (52.7), but that's something we can continue to work on," coach Byron Scott said Monday.
Cleveland, though, has shown some positive signs on the defensive end. The team had a season-high 12 steals against the Clippers, and it has surrendered just 23 second-chance points - tied for the second-fewest in the league - with opponents grabbing 8.8 offensive rebounds per contest.
Cavs center Anderson Varejao leads the NBA with three games of 15 or more rebounds after grabbing that many on Monday.
The team might need to lean even more on Varejao, Alonzo Gee and Tristan Thompson with rookie big man Tyler Zeller out with a concussion and broken cheekbone. Zeller left in the fourth quarter Monday after taking an elbow to the face after scoring a season-best 15 points and pulling down seven rebounds.
The Cavs said there is "no specific timeline" for his return and that he will continue to be monitored and evaluated.
With Zeller being placed in the NBA's concussion protocol process, there will be no on-court reunion between him and Warriors rookie forward Harrison Barnes, his former North Carolina teammate.
Both are averaging 7.5 points, although Barnes is a starter.
Center Andrew Bogut should be in the Warriors' starting lineup for a second straight game as he's still recovering from a fractured left ankle suffered last season while with Milwaukee. The Australian is coming off a season-best 12-point performance.
"I'm just trying to get through these next three to four weeks," Bogut said.
In the only meeting between these teams last season, the visiting Warriors won 105-95 on Jan. 17.
Golden State goes for a second consecutive home win in this series after a 116-98 victory on Jan. 7, 2011, ended Cleveland's 4-0 run in the Bay Area. LeBron James was in the Cavaliers' lineup during that stretch.
Updated November 7, 2012
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