More Trouble in Golden State: Cavaliers Defeat Warriors 108-104

The Warriors played strong on defense, but were unable to make enough stops against the Cleveland offense in the fourth quarter. LeBron James ended the game with 24 points and 14 rebounds, and was one assist short of a triple-double.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Daniel Gibson both contributed 22 points for Cleveland.

The Warriors were unable to stop the Cavs from penetrating and then dishing out to shooters on the wing. The Warriors never closed out on shooters like Gibson and Damon Jones, who consistently buried three-pointers throughout the game.

With 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Gibson drained a three-pointer to give Cleveland a 106-102 lead, effectively sealing the game.

Mike Brown made a excellent substitution in the fourth quarter, bringing in Jones for Sasha Pavlovic. Pavlovic was only 2-11 at the time, and Jones immediately hit a three-pointer off a pass from James to give the Cavs more breathing room.

Golden State was led by Baron Davis, who contributed 29 points on 28 shots. Monta Ellis had 22 points, and made an impressive block on James in the second quarter as James was going for a layup.

Davis played 46 minutes, and fatigue was clearly a factor for him in the fourth quarter. Coach Don Nelson must give Davis more rest and find a way to get Troy Hudson off the bench.

Hudson and Ellis can both handle the point in relief of Davis.

Andris Biedrins has not played well this season, and clearly misses Stephen Jackson. Jackson and Biedrins had great chemistry last year, and were very effective on the pick-and-roll.

Biedrins had four turnovers last night, and missed two important free throws in the fourth quarter that could have given the Warriors the lead.

Kelenna Azubuike was only 2-10 from the floor, and Mickael Pietrus played just 19 minutes.

The Warriors are now 0-4, and await Dallas on Thursday night at home.