NBA Finals: Iguodala sparks Warriors over Cavs to tie series at 2-2

The Golden State Warriors rode on a strong start and a hot finish to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 103-82, in Game Four of the NBA Finals on Thursday (Friday morning PHL time).

With the victory, the Warriors tied the series at 2-2 with Game Five scheduled back at Golden State's Oracle Arena.

Golden State had its best first quarter of the series after moving sixth man Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup in lieu of center Andrew Bogut. After a shaky start, the Warriors ended the opening period on a roll, taking a 31-24 lead while forcing its pace on the Cavaliers.

The Warriors led by as much as 15 points in the second quarter, eventually ending the first half with a 54-42 advantage as Cavaliers superstar LeBron James cut his head open after a fall following a foul by Bogut.

The Cavaliers woke up in the third period, with James getting ample support from Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov to come within six points, 76-70, heading into the final period.

But with James on the bench, season Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry sparked a big Warriors run to open the fourth quarter. Golden State scored the first six points of the period to open up an 82-70 lead. A three-pointer by Iguodala with 5:35 remaining pushed the lead up to 16 points, 93-77, and the Warriors cruised the rest of the way.

Iguodala scored a season-high 22 points, sharing the team scoring lead with Curry. More importantly, Iguodala helped shadow James to just 20 points after the Cavaliers superstar averaged 41 over the first three games of the series.

Mozgov led the Cavaliers in scoring with 28 points, a new playoff career-high.-- JST, GMA News