Cavaliers lack momentum as they lose to the Warriors

Cleveland Cavaliers lose their fifth game out of the last seven.

Dec 6, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) works against Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield (7) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

After recording highs against the San Antonio Spurs, the Cleveland Cavaliers somehow managed to do a total 360 on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 29 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter. Evan Mobley had 18, and Darius Garland chipped in with 17, but Cleveland lost 99-94 to Golden State.

From scoring a franchise-high 80 points in the paint and a season-high 58 percent from the floor against the Spurs, Cleveland staggeringly shot a season-low 34.6 percent from the field and 23.6 percent from three-point land against the Warriors.

Conversely, the Warriors went a woeful 4-for-23 in the opening 12 minutes, tied for second-worst shooting quarter in the league this season, and trailed 18-12. They were 29-for-63 the rest of the way.

Golden State enjoyed a 14-point lead in the third period and was up 72-62 going into the fourth before the Cavaliers made a late comeback.

The Cavs went on a 15-5 run to make it 96-94 with 11 seconds to go. Golden State’s Gui Santos made his first free throw but missed the second. Cleveland called a timeout, but Mitchell missed what would have been a game-tying three-pointer with 4.1 seconds left.

Pat Spencer, who scored a career-high 19 points for the Warriors, iced the game from the free-throw line.

While it’s true the Cavs are in a tricky part of their schedule and dealing with injuries, this was a disappointing loss, given the issues the Warriors are also going through.

Golden State was without its top two scorers, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, and its best defensive player, Draymond Green. Given the nature of their performance against the Spurs, this game was there for the taking.

The offensive performance didn’t carry over. They didn’t attack the basket enough, and when they did, they only connected on 43 percent of their attempts.

Despite the poor percentages, the Cavs still had a chance to win it late, but it didn’t work out the way they wanted.

It’s been a case of Cleveland not being able to build any momentum so far, with this being their fifth loss in their last seven.

 Whenever they take a step forward, they follow it with several steps back. The Cavs have just two games now in the next week, beginning with the Washington Wizards, which will hopefully be the perfect time to hit the reset button.