The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their unbeaten start to the NBA season in remarkable fashion on Friday, dismantling the Golden State Warriors 136-117 to improve to 10-0. An exploding first half by Cleveland set the tone, as they raced out to an 83-point score by halftime, tying a franchise record and building a 41-point lead-the largest halftime advantage in team history. The early dominance marked Cleveland’s fifth 130-point game of the season, which tied a team record for the most 130-plus point games in an entire season.
Darius Garland scored 27 for the Cavs, Evan Mobley had 23 and Ty Jerome added 20 off the bench. Six Cavs players hit double figures against a Warriors defense that ranked second in the league coming in. Cleveland’s hot start began with a 20-2 run as the Warriors’ high-powered offense never got going. “Ten-0 is a magic number,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We’re playing really good basketball, and I’m just really pleased where the group is.”
Golden State had just two starters, Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry, score before halftime. The Warriors surged somewhat in the second half, outscoring Cleveland 41-29 in the third quarter, but the deficit proved insurmountable. Jonathan Kuminga led Golden State with 21 points off the bench, and Curry finished with 12 points on five-of-ten shooting. “Thirteen turnovers in the first half — we were completely disorganized,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
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Elsewhere, Jayson Tatum scored 33 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a hard-fought 107-102 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who led by as many as 14 points in the first half. The Celtics never took the lead until the fourth quarter, outlasting them eventually in extra time.
Cade Cunningham’s late-game heroics led to the Pistons’ 122-121 win over the Atlanta Hawks in Detroit. Cunningham drove for the go-ahead basket with 8.5 seconds remaining and blocked Onyeka Okongwu’s layup attempt while putting up 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists for a triple-double performance.
Jusuf Nurkic’s free throw with a second left in Dallas lifted the Suns over the Mavericks 114-113. Kevin Durant scored 26 points for the Suns, who have lost only one game at home all season. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 59 points for Dallas.
Finally, in a well-outplayed game, Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 32 points as they never trailed in a 116-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
