SAN FRANCISCO – Hardly anyone has been able to keep up with the league’s best offense this year, so at least the Warriors can say they’re not alone.

Nothing worked offensively for Golden State against the Cavaliers, who have the best record in the league at 28:4. The Warriors missed a multitude of layups, shot 23.7% from behind 3-point range and had 15 turnovers. Steph Curry scored 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting and Dennis Schroder, Buddy Hield and Draymond Green shot a combined 6-for-29.

Cleveland’s big athletic wings suffocated the Warriors all night, but never more so than in the second quarter. They scored 11 points in the semifinals – a season-low this season – on 4-for-23 shooting (0-for-8 from long range).

Trayce Jackson-Davis (16 points, career-high 16 rebounds) played well, but the Warriors were exposed by their lack of shotmakers and play-finishers in a 113-95 loss. The Chase Center emptied with five minutes left. Golden State (16-16) lost 13 of its final 17 games in 2024. In that loss, they shot a season-low 33.3% from the field.

Even in a duel with duels Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the Warriors earned second chances with attempts on the glass. Trayce Jackson-Davis was particularly impressive, grabbing seven boards in his first six minutes – including four offensive rebounds.

Jackson-Davis finished 2024 strong, with six straight games with double-digit points to close out the calendar year. He totaled 10 offensive rebounds.

Although the Warriors attempted five more field goals in the first quarter and overwhelmed the Cavs six times, they only led by one point after 12 minutes. It was the first time in over a month that Cleveland trailed after the first quarter.

Cleveland ranks first in the league in offensive rating and ninth in defense. With Allen and Mobley on the team and Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland attacking out of the backcourt, the Cavaliers were the story of the first half of the season.

But the Warriors shut them down in the second quarter.

Before former Warrior Ty Jerome sank two 3-pointers, the Cavaliers went 0-for-7 from the floor and committed four turnovers. But the Warriors didn’t capitalize on it at all and went cold as well.

Each team traded turnover after turnover to start the second quarter. In the first 2:24 seconds of the frame, the score froze at 27-26. The first field goal of the quarter came on a flip shot by Andrew Wiggins 4:30 minutes into the quarter. The teams combined to miss 12 shots in a row.

Cleveland’s size caused all sorts of problems for the Warriors. They missed several layups and failed on all eight three-point attempts.