The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their dream start to the NBA season, overpowering the Golden State Warriors with a 136-117 victory on Friday, stretching their perfect record to 10-0. A staggering 83-point first half—their highest-scoring half in franchise history—propelled the Cavs to a 41-point lead at halftime, the largest in team history. Six Cavs players scored in double figures, led by Darius Garland’s 27 points, Evan Mobley’s 23, and Ty Jerome’s 20 off the bench.
Despite Golden State’s defensive prowess, ranked second in the league, Cleveland managed their fifth game scoring over 130 points this season, tying a team record. The Cavs’ explosive start included a 20-2 opening run, keeping Warriors starters like Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins to just seven and nine points respectively before halftime. Although the Warriors outscored Cleveland 41-29 in the third quarter, the Cavs’ early advantage proved insurmountable.
In Boston, Jayson Tatum’s 33 points led the Celtics to a 107-102 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets, who had held a 14-point lead in the first half. Tatum’s clutch performance helped Boston claim the victory in a tightly contested game.
Meanwhile, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham sealed a thrilling 122-121 victory over Atlanta, driving for the game-winning basket with 8.5 seconds remaining and blocking Onyeka Okongwu’s shot in the final seconds. Cunningham ended with a triple-double: 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists.
Phoenix Suns narrowly defeated the Dallas Mavericks 114-113 in another nail-biter, thanks to Jusuf Nurkic’s clutch free throw with 0.8 seconds left. Kevin Durant scored 26 points and Nurkic contributed a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Dallas stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 59 points but could not avoid their second loss this season to Phoenix.
In New York, Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 32 points in a decisive 116-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Knicks led by as much as 30, while Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 24 points and 12 rebounds were not enough to spark a comeback for the Bucks, who trailed from the outset.
