The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their unbeaten streak, improving to 10-0 in spectacular fashion by defeating the Golden State Warriors 136-117 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Friday night.
Despite the Warriors entering the game with a 7-1 record, the Cavaliers dominated from the start, opening the game with a 20-2 run and finishing the first quarter with a commanding 39-22 lead.
At halftime, Cleveland held a staggering 83-42 lead, setting a franchise record for first-half points. The team shot an impressive 65% from the field and 64% from beyond the arc in the first two quarters.
Darius Garland led the charge for the Cavaliers with 27 points, including six 3-pointers, and six assists. Evan Mobley contributed 23 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, while Ty Jerome added 20 points off the bench, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown. Isaac Okoro also had a solid performance with 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting from 3-point range.
Although the Warriors mounted a comeback in the second half, outscoring the Cavaliers 75-53, it was not enough to overcome the massive deficit. Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors with 21 points, followed by Brandin Podziemski with 14 points. Stephen Curry, who had been averaging high scores, was limited to 12 points in this game.
With this victory, Cleveland remains the only undefeated team in the NBA this season, following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first loss to the Denver Nuggets earlier in the week.
Interestingly, the last team to start 10-0 in the past 20 seasons was the Warriors during the 2015-16 season. Despite their impressive start, the Warriors ultimately fell to the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals that year.
The Cavaliers now join a select group of teams that have started the season 10-0 or better, including the 2000-01 Philadelphia 76ers, 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks, and the aforementioned 2015-16 Warriors. In franchise history, Cleveland has set a new record for the best start to a season at 8-0.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson has also made history by becoming the first coach to start a season 9-0 with a new team. The Cavaliers will look to extend their winning streak to 11-0 as they face the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.