OAKLAND –- One down, three to go.
The Warriors rolled to a 104-89 win over Cleveland in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night before a roaring sellout crowd at Oracle Arena.
They took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with balanced scoring and terrific bench play that offset forgettable individual nights for star guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Seven Warriors scored in double figures, paced by Shaun Livingston, whose 20 points represent a career-high in the postseason. Draymond Green put in 16 points, Harrison Barnes 13, Andre Iguodala 12, Leandro Barbosa and Curry 11 each and Andrew Bogut had 10.
The Warriors held Cleveland to 38.1-percent shooting, outscoring the Cavaliers in the paint (54-42). The Warriors poured in 25 points off 17 Cleveland turnovers.
Curry was 4-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-8 from deep. Thompson was 4-of-12, 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. Their combined 20 points are the fewest they contributed in any win this season.
The Warriors’ bench outscored that of Cleveland 45-10.
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Four Cavaliers scored in double figured, with Kyrie Irving (26) and LeBron James (23) leading the way.
STANDOUT PERFORMER
Nearly everybody except Curry and Thompson got into the act, but Green, Iguodala, Livingston and Barbosa were marvelous.
Green’s line: 16 points (5-of-11 from the field, 2-of-6 from deep), team-high 11 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. He played 40 minutes and was plus-18 for the game.
Iguodala’s line: 12 points (5-of-9, 2-of-4), seven rebounds, six assists and one steal. He was plus-22 in 36 minutes of action.
Livingston’s line: 18 points (6-of-8), four rebounds and three assists. He played 27 minutes and was plus-20.
Barbosa’s line: 10 points (5-of-5). He played 11 minutes and was plus-15.
TURNING POINT
After James drove in for a layup that gave Cleveland a 68-67 lead with 2:12 left in the third quarter, the Warriors responded with a 15-0 run to go up 82-68 with 10:11 remaining in the game.
Livingston scored 6 points during the rally, Iguodala tossed in 5. The Warriors held the Cavs to 0-of-5 shooting, with two turnovers during that stretch.
Cleveland never got closer than 11 points over the final 10 minutes.
