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14	August 2018

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The Latest from the NBA Finals and Thursday�s Game 1 (all times local):

8:50 p.m.

The Golden State Warriors pulled out a 124-114 overtime victory over Cleveland in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after a bizarre ending to regulation.

The game went to OT after Cleveland�s J.R. Smith failed to take the go-ahead shot after a missed free throw Davante Adams Jersey Youth , apparently believing the Cavaliers led by one when it was tied.

The Warriors took advantage of their second chance, opening OT with a 9-0 run to blow it open.

LeBron James� highest-scoring postseason game was wasted, as he finished with 51 points.

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8:30 p.m.

Cleveland and Golden State are headed to overtime in Game 1 of what is LeBron James� highest-scoring game ever in the NBA Finals.

George Hill made a free throw with 4.7 seconds to tie the game, but J.R. Smith apparently didn�t realize the game was tied when he grabbed the rebound of the missed second shot. Smith dribbled backward toward midcourt as teammates pointed toward the basket, and the Cavs couldn�t get a potential winning shot off.

James has 49 points.

The teams also went to OT in Game 1 in 2015, with the Warriors pulling out the victory after Kyrie Irving was injured.

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8:15 p.m.

The 3-pointers haven�t been falling much in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but the Warriors got a couple to go to give them a six-point lead heading to the final stretch.

Draymond Green, who had been struggling badly from outside, snapped a 94-all tie with a 3-pointer with a little more than 5 minutes left. Stephen Curry followed with one to give the Warriors a 100-94 advantage.

Curry has five 3-pointers but the Warriors are just 10 for 32 as a team.

LeBron James has 40 points for the Cavaliers.

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7:55 p.m.

Golden State tried to throw its third-quarter knockdown punch in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but Cleveland took it pretty well.

The Warriors lead 84-78 but it appeared it could be worse after they raced to a quick seven-point lead. Cleveland erased that but Golden State spurted away again a bit toward the end of what�s so often been its dominant period.

LeBron James went to the bench for his second break of the game after missing five straight shots in the quarter. He also matched Michael Jordan during the period by reaching 30 points for the 109th time in a postseason game.

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7:35 p.m.

JaVale McGee got his chance and is making the most of it.

The center was inserted into the starting lineup in the second half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals and is making an impact on both ends as the Warriors surged into a 66-59 lead.

McGee had played in only nine of Golden State�s 17 games entering the NBA Finals -and only three minutes total in the Western Conference finals- but was sent out with the first unit when the teams returned from the locker rooms.

He played terrific defense on LeBron James on one possession, and later had two baskets to spark another impressive third-quarter start for the Warriors.

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7:10 p.m.

Stephen Curry got the Warriors back to even, and now they get ready for their favorite part of the game.

Curry drained a 3-ponter from about 30 feet to beat the halftime buzzer http://www.buffalobillsteamonline.com/josh-allen-jersey , tying Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night at 56-all. Golden State had trailed by 11 points earlier in the second quarter before a strong finish.

Curry had 18 points, while LeBron James led all scorers with 24.

Now the teams regroup before a quarter the Warriors dominate. They have outscored opponents 519-389 in the postseason, a difference of 130 points, and turned around both Game 6 and 7 against Houston in the Western Conference finals with huge runs in that period.

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7:05 p.m.

LeBron James actually got a rest in the NBA Finals.

After playing all 48 minutes in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, James sat down midway through the second quarter.

He earned it. James had 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting to carry Cleveland to a 51-45 lead over Golden State.

Kevin Love also is playing well with nine points and Larry Nance Jr. is giving Cleveland a lift off the bench.

But Kevin Durant, the MVP of last year�s NBA Finals, is struggling. He started 2 for 8 for six points, missing all three 3-point attempts. Stephen Curry was keeping the Warriors close with 15 points.

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6:40 p.m.

The Cavaliers have the lead but the Warriors appear to have good news.

Klay Thompson returned from the locker room just before the first quarter ended with Cleveland leading 30-29. The All-Star guard missed about half the period after J.R. Smith slid into his left leg while trying to intercept a pass, knocking Thompson to the court.

He got treatment for what the Warriors said was a left lateral leg contusion and returned to the bench to cheers as the period was about to end.

LeBron James had 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting, while Stephen Curry had 11 for the Warriors. Both teams had to be pleased with their starts after falling behind early and having to climb back in their Game 7 victories in the conference finals.

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6:30 p.m.

Golden State guard Klay Thompson has gone to the locker room, limping gingerly after J.R. Smith slid hard into the Warriors left leg at the 6:17 mark of the first quarter.

Thompson lay grimacing in pain, slapping his hands on the court immediately after the play. Thompson appeared to injure the same left knee he hurt in the Western Conference finals.

Smith was making a play on the ball when he seemed to unintentionally undercut Thompson Saquon Barkley Jersey Youth , who did return to the Warriors� bench afte The Los Angeles Kings believe they are still Stanley Cup contenders, even after being swept by the upstart Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. How close they are to that goal might be reflected in how negotiations go with defenseman Drew Doughty this summer.

General manager Rob Blake said Friday that working out a contract extension with Doughty is the team�s top priority. The Kings and Doughty can begin holding talks on July 1, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the 2018-19 season.

�I always wanted to be an LA King and I want to stay an LA King,� Doughty said.

Doughty is one of three finalists for the Norris Trophy presented to the league�s top defenseman after winning it in 2016. He had 10 goals and 50 assists in his most productive NHL season yet, but Doughty believes he can still improve his scoring output.

�I wasn�t too happy with my goal totals this year,� Doughty said. �I think I only maybe scored one or two one-timer goals, which in my career probably half of my goals are one-timer goals, so I was pretty disappointed about that this year. I can definitely improve on that and have an even better season and hopefully set some new career-highs.�

The Kings scored just three goals in four games against the Golden Knights. Developing a more reliable offense is the one glaring weakness that needs be addressed, and lifting the Stanley Cup for the third time is a reasonable goal provided it gets solved going into next season.

�Everybody is still here that was here in �14 and almost in �12 for that matter, too, so we�re not that far off,� center Anze Kopitar said. �It�s going to take a lot of work Odell Beckham Jr Giants Jersey , yes, but we�re not far off.�

CAREER YEARS

Kopitar set personal bests with 35 goals and 57 assists while averaging a career-high 22:05 of playing time. His 92 points represented a 40-point improvement over his lackluster 2016-17, leading Kopitar to joke he is �aging like wine.� Dustin Brown had 61 points to top his previous high of 60 set in 2007-08, his fourth season in the league. Doughty broke free with 60 points after reaching the 50-point plateau once in the previous seven seasons. Doughty�s usual defensive partner, Jake Muzzin, had 42 points. Even depth forward Trevor Lewis got into the act with 26 points and 14 goals in his most productive campaign.

FORWARD THINKING

Rookie Adrian Kempe was fourth on the team with 16 goals despite not finding the back of the net in the final 29 games of the regular season. Stepping in at center when Jeff Carter missed 55 games following surgery to repair a cut tendon in his ankle, Kempe showed a surprising toughness to go along with his natural quickness. If Kempe can continue to develop, he could decrease the reliance on Kopitar, who will be 31 when next season starts, and the 33-year-old Carter.

�I�m pretty sure he�ll be the first one to tell you he can offer more, and that�s a learning process,� Kopitar said. �That�s his first full year in the league. Speaking from experience Anthony Miller Jersey Youth , it takes a little bit of time to figure out your routines and what�s working for you and what�s not.�

LOOKING FOR DEPTH

Short of dealing in the offseason, the Kings should return essentially the same roster next season. Speedy forward Tobias Rieder is a restricted free agent, and Torrey Mitchell is an unrestricted free agent. The 25-year-old Rieder showed some chemistry with Carter, posting four goals and two assists in 20 games. Defensemen Christian Folin and Kevin Gravel are both unrestricted free agents.

HOME IMPROVEMENT NEEDED

The Kings went 23-15-3 at home, the second-fewest wins by a playoff team. It seemed like they were getting better as the season went on, going 9-4-0 down the stretch, only to lose both home playoff games and fall to 0-5 at Staples Center in their last two postseasons. Their 118 goals at home in the regular season was tied for 21st in the NHL. The power play contributed 25 percent of that output, underscoring the need for 5-on-5 improvement.

COMING ATTRACTION

Clearly in need of more contributors on offense, center Gabriel Vilardi could be an option for the Kings next season. Selected No. 11 overall in the 2017 draft, Vilardi has been a force in the OHL playoffs with 11 goals and nine assists in his first 12 postseason games. Vilardi also has the size and 200-foot game that fit a Kings team that still emphasizes defense.

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