Cavs winning streak ends with 108-95 loss to short-handed Warriors

Tristan Thompson, left, dunks on the Warriors' Jeremy Tyler during the second quarter Tuesday in Cleveland. Thompson had 18 points and 11 rebounds, but the Cavs lost 108-95. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

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CLEVELAND: The Cavs’ three-game winning streak came to a crashing thud thanks to an inept defensive effort against a short-handed Golden State Warriors team playing the final night of a four-game East Coast trip.

Kyrie Irving had 14 points, but shot just 5 of 17, and the Warriors made 11 3-pointers while shooting 54 percent in their 108-95 victory at Quicken Loans Arena. The Warriors were playing without three starters and a key reserve, including leading scorer Stephen Curry, who sprained his ankle in a win at Toronto on Monday.

With so many players short-handed, Klay Thompson played the entire second half and scored a career-high 32 points for the Warriors. He had 30 at the end of the third quarter.

The Cavs were lethargic defensively, squelching the momentum built by a three-game winning streak last week. Irving missed the morning shootaround because he was ill and tried to play through it, but clearly wasn’t himself after averaging nearly 36 points in three games last week.

Tristan Thompson had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Dion Waiters had 17 points and seven assists and Tyler Zeller had 16 points for the Cavs, who shot 22 percent (4 of 18) on 3-pointers. The Warriors, conversely, were 11 of 16 from deep.

The Cavs trailed by as many as 16, but cut the deficit to 97-89 with less than four minutes left when Jarrett Jack made a 3-pointer – the Warriors’ 11^th of the night – and followed with another basket on the Warriors’ next possession. 

Jarrett Jack, subbing for the injured Curry, scored 26 points and David Lee had 20 points and 13 rebounds. Lee played 39 minutes while Thompson played 43 minutes for the Warriors.