It had the feeling of an extension of their series in June and unfortunately for the Cavaliers, it garnered the same result: the Warriors coming away on top, 89-83 on Christmas Day at Oracle Arena. Draymond Green flirted with a triple-double by registering 22 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists for Golden State (28-1). Stephen Curry dropped 19 points, Klay Thompson put in 18 points and Shaun Livingston provided 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting off the bench.

udging by the players' facial expressions, every wasted possession looked as if it was a colossal failure. This game mattered for both teams. There's a mutual respect with each team observing the other from afar.

"I think it's good for the NBA," Warriors interim coach Luke Walton said of the fan interest in watching these two teams face off. "I wouldn't call it a rivalry, but we are linked. We had a really competitive NBA Finals last year, and they're one of the best teams in the East and we're one of the best teams in the West. So I think it's good for the fans to buy into that."

It was six months ago that a frustrated Cleveland squad departed Oracle Arena after a Game 5 loss in the NBA Finals. The Warriors had something clicking with their small-ball lineup and it was responsible for them snatching two straight wins to go up 3-2 heading back to Cleveland. The Cavaliers had to have had a feeling they wouldn't be coming back to the Bay Area. They eventually did, but it was on Christmas.

"I was thinking when I was on the bus and I guess about six months has passed and I was like, 'Geez, we were just here yesterday," Cavaliers coach David Blatt said. "That's kind of what I felt. It's obviously still fresh in my mind. No question."

Cleveland was held to 32 percent shooting. The Big Three of James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving was 10-of-26, 5-of-16 and 4-of-15, respectively. The ball movement was stagnant, the offense relying on isolation ball that translated into tough contested shots that couldn't find the bottom of the net. Golden State's defense was able to stay set and zone in on its target.

James had difficulty finishing around the rim the entire contest. When he got by one defender, the help defense rotated swiftly to alter his shot or block it. Collectively, the Warriors swatted away 10 shots. Meanwhile, the Warriors moved the ball in perfect harmony and set themselves up for wide-open looks. They made the Cavaliers work on defense, although the Warriors weren't knocking down shots with regularity (41 percent). James ended the game with 25 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Love had 10 and a game-high 18 rebounds. J.R. Smith scored 14 points and Irving chipped in 13.

Cavs center Timofey Mozgov was a wreck. He missed all five of his field goal opportunities right at the basket. It's a mental battle he's fighting. He finished with 0 points and three boards in 14 minutes.

James missed two consecutive free throws that would have cut it to two with 1:32 remaining in the contest. Curry then went onto to perform two straight blow-by layups to give the Warriors a five-point lead with 57.6 remaining. Cleveland would not be able to close the gap. Dellavedova had 10 points off the bench, and Tristan Thompson went for eight points and 10 boards.

On deck The Portland Trail Blazers will get the Cavaliers on the back end of a back-to-back on Saturday at the Moda Center. The game will start at 10 p.m. on FOX Sports Ohio. Cleveland leads the season series, 1-0.