Oakland, Calif. • Klay Thompson hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:33 left, Kevin Durant defended LeBron James and delivered on both ends against Cleveland just as he did six months ago to earn Finals MVP, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Cavaliers 99-92 on Monday in a Christmas rematch of opponents from the past three NBA Finals.
Durant's block against a driving James with 24.5 seconds left went to official review and was ruled clean. Durant finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots.
Kevin Love had 31 points with six 3-pointers and a season-best 18 rebounds, while James contributed 20 points, six rebounds and six assists in a rivalry missing one key piece. The Warriors' two-time MVP Stephen Curry missed his eighth straight game with a sprained right ankle.
Thompson scored 24 points and Draymond Green had a triple-double with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. It was Golden State's 12th win in 13 games after its 11-game winning streak was snapped by Denver on Saturday night.
76ers 105, Knicks 98 • In New York, Joel Embiid had 25 points and 16 rebounds, JJ Redick scored 24 points, and Philadelphia snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory over New York. Neither player was cleared to play until going through pregame warmups, and their presence gave the 76ers just enough to win their first Christmas Day appearance since 2001.
Embiid, who has been battling a bad back, powered through a big-man duel with Enes Kanter, who had a season-high 31 points and a career-best 22 rebounds.
Redick, who missed the last game with right hamstring tightness, helped the 76ers pull away from an 89-all tie midway through the fourth quarter.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points for the Knicks, who fell to 22-30 on Christmas with their fifth straight loss on the holiday.
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