The Golden State Warriors have levelled the NBA Finals at 2-2 after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-82 at the Quicken Loans Arena.
It puts the Western Conference champions in a good position ahead of game five in Oakland on Sunday, and it was a pleasing display for head coach Steve Kerr, whose side had struggled to contain LeBron James in the opening three games.
The defensive efficiency which stood out for Cleveland in the last two victories appeared to be missing, and the Warriors capitalised after a sluggish start to take control in the first half.
Andre Iguodala was drafted into the starting lineup in place of Andrew Bogut as Kerr went with a smaller side, and the former All-Star impressed at both ends of the court as he contributed 22 points and battled admirably against James.
Matthew Dellavedova, who was hospitalised due to fatigue earlier in the week and battled cramp in the second half, found it tough to continue his fine form guarding Curry, who started quietly but looked to be back to his best leading the visitors.
At one stage it looked like the Cavaliers would be dealt a severe blow before half time when James cut his head in a collision with a cameraman close to the basket, but the four-time MVP managed to stay on the court as the Warriors took a 54-42 lead into the interval.
Although James would finish with 20 points and 10 rebounds, the Cavaliers were unable to help their key man dominate with his post moves in the way he had done in each of the first three games.
After committing just two turnovers in the first half, Golden State dropped their performance levels in the third quarter as the Cavaliers rallied to cut the deficit to three, with Timofey Mozgov excelling on the way to 28 points and 10 rebounds.
Despite a quiet night for Klay Thompson, who scored just nine points, the Warriors survived the fightback from the home side and pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Draymond Green produced his best performance of the series with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Curry walked off with 22 points as Golden State took the opportunity to rest their starters late on.
