Final thoughts: Warriors 108, Cavs 95

Dion Waiters drives past the Warriors' Kent Bazemore in the second quarter Tuesday in Cleveland. Waiters had 18 points, but the Warriors won 108-95. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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CLEVELAND: Final thoughts from another loss and a blown opportunity against a short-handed opponent...

* Prior to Tuesday night, Kent Bazemore hadn't played more than 18 minutes in a game this season. His career high was six points. He played 30 minutes against the Cavs, scored 30 points and even made the only 3-pointer he attempted. He began the night 1 of 7 on 3s.

* It was that kind of night for the Cavs, who did little right in a game they should've won. The Warriors were without four of their top six players. They were playing on the second night of a back-to-back and the fourth game in five nights. Yet Klay Thompson ripped them for 32 points in 43 minutes and the Warriors shot 69 percent on 3-pointers (11 of 16).

* Byron Scott referred to the Warriors both before and after the game as a "wounded dog," but instead the Cavs were limping and lethargic. Kyrie Irving was sick, but no one else really picked him up.

* Tristan Thompson did his best, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds, but the damage was done on the defensive end. Thompson ripped Alonzo Gee in one of Gee's worst defensive performances of the season. But he wasn't alone in defending him. Irving lost Thompson the few times he defended him, including once in the fourth quarter when Thompson appeared to be the only player on that half of the floor. Not surprisingly, he sank a 3.

* These are the type of letdowns the Cavs can't afford. Not when they're trying to build on their three-game winning streak and finish a month at .500. Scott said this morning finishing a month at .500 would be a big step, but Tristan Thompson said afterwards the players weren't really focusing on that. They should've. It would've been a firm signal of progress in a season that sometimes lacks signs of growth. 

* The Cavs entered as the worst defensive team in the league, allowing opponents to shoot 47 percent. The Warriors fattened that up even more by shooting 54 percent. Yes, they shot a better percentage on 3-pointers than 2-pointers. That kind of night.

* Klay Thompson, incidentally, is now shooting 83 percent on 3-pointers at Quicken Loans Arena.

* The Cavs have another winnable game Friday at Detroit, but they haven't played well at the Palace in recent years.