Pat Spencer leads Warriors to stunning win over Cavaliers

Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News on Dec 6, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

CLEVELAND —Missing a third of their players Saturday night in Cleveland, the Golden State Warriors needed their ragtag group to play with supreme effort, take care of the ball and make a few timely shots to stay competitive.

If they did those things, perhaps the Warriors – missing Steph and Seth Curry, Draymond Green (foot), Al Horford (sciatica), Jimmy Butler (knee) and De’Anthony Melton (rest) – would stand a chance against the full-strength Cavaliers with Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.

Or the Warriors could just lean on another Pat Spencer masterclass in a 99-94 victory.

After scoring 17 and 16 in back-to-back games, Spencer earned his first start and scored a career-high 19 and dished out seven assists. After canning a triple midway through the fourth, Spencer turned to the Cavs crowd and talked smack.

Golden State led 96-91 with a minute left, but Evan Mobley made a putback and Darius Garland canned a free throw to cut the lead to just two points with 21 seconds remaining.

In a game where all 10 active Warriors played, Gui Santos scored 14 points and made a free throw to put the team up 97-94. MItchell missed a 3-pointer with four seconds remaining as the Warriors snapped a two-game losing skid.

With Spencer in foul trouble for most of the first quarter, the Warriors offense scuttled while the Cavs attack did just enough to scrape out an 18-12 lead after 12 minutes.

But everything changed in the second period, when the Warriors outscored the Cavaliers 33-18 with Spencer available for most of it. Golden State pushed the pace against a Cavs team that appeared to be sleepwalking against a shorthanded opponent, leading 72-62 after three quarters.

Kerr would not get into specifics, but he said he expects most of the Warriors’ wounded will play at Sunday against the Bulls.

Kerr’s challenge

Warriors coach Steve Kerr issued different yet similar challenges to his depleted team’s two polarizing 23-year-olds before the team took on the Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on Saturday night.

Guard Brandin Podziemski needed to be more willing to play off the ball. Jonathan Kuminga, making his first start since Nov. 12 in Oklahoma City, had to run the floor with effort.

“We’re urging him to get up the floor, instead of holding it back in the backcourt and asking for the ball. I want him to be the fist guy down the floor,” Kerr said of Kuminga.

With his agent Aaron Turner in the building, Kuminga finished 1 of 10 from the field, often taking ill-advised shots and layups in traffic. Podziemski was not statistically prolific, but still had a respectable 10 points and two assists off the bench.

Steph update

Steph has missed the past four games with a quad strain suffered on Thanksgiving eve against Houston.

Instead of traveling with the team on the current road trip, Steph has remained in the Bay Area as he works with the Warriors’ medical staff. Kerr expressed optimism that he will be able to play in the team’s next home game on Dec. 12.

“I talked to (team doctor) Rick (Celebrini) yesterday, and he said Steph is doing well and that he’s started back on the court yesterday, and everything is going well,” Kerr said.

Atkinson’s Warriors influence

Kerr has seen a multitude of assistant coaches move on to various head coaching spots over his 11-year tenure with the Warriors. Few have been as fiery as current Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, who was a lead assistant for Kerr from 2021-24.

Atkinson’s intense, numbers-based approach was appreciated by the more laid-back, feel-based Kerr.

“I learned a lot from him, and you know, he looked at the game a little differently than I did,” Kerr said. “He had much more analytical mind than I did, and it was one of the reasons I brought him in.”

Atkinson, who was awarded the 2025 Coach of the Year honor after going 64-18 last season, made sure to give Kerr praise for helping him also develop as a coach. Atkinson had previously coached the Nets for four seasons before being fired.

“It was like finishing school for me,” Atkinson said. “Steve understands leadership as well as anybody, any coach I’ve been around.”

____