The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the 2018 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors as the biggest underdog in the league's championship round in at least 30 years.
Only you wouldn't have known it through the first quarter-plus of Game 1, as the Cavs -- a 12-point underdog on Thursday -- jumped out to a 44-35 lead.
The highlight of the first half thus far for Cleveland came less than a minute into the second quarter. Leading the defending champion Warriors 30-29 after the opening period, LeBron James stretched the Cavs' lead to three with a driving dunk through the Golden State defense.
With James scoring an early 20 points, the Cavs managed to extend their lead to nine points on another basket by the 4-time MVP. The Warriors, however, would proceed to reel off a run of their own, cutting Cleveland's lead to 44-40 on a Stephen Curry layup with 6:22 remaining before halftime.
In addition to James' 20 points, Kevin Love has scored 9 while Larry Nance Jr. has scored 6 off the bench for Cleveland.
For all the latest from Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night, follow our live blog and join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #3Cavs.
