By: Eric He

AP photo: Cleveland Cavaliers Kyrie Irving (2) shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in game one at Oracle Arena on Thursday night of the NBA Finals

Stephen Curry had just 11 points. Klay Thompson finished with a mere 9 points. And yet, the Warriors beat the Cavaliers easily in Game 1, 104-89, behind a fabulous performance by the bench on Thursday night at Oracle Arena to jump ahead in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.

The Warriors’ bench scored 45 points, paced by 20 points from Shaun Livingston, 12 from Andre Iguodala and 11 from Leandro Barbosa. Golden State’s bench outscored Cleveland’s 45-9.

After the two teams traded leads in the third quarter, the Warriors brought a six-point lead into the fourth quarter and the bench went off to extend the advantage. Livingston and Barbosa connected on an array of baskets, pushing the lead to 16. with 8:34 to play. It was a 21-4 run with Curry and Thompson on the bench.

Late three-pointers by Curry and Thompson shut down any Cavaliers’ hopes of a comeback.

The Warriors got off to a strong start, looking more comfortable and relaxed than in their series against the Thunder. They led by nine at halftime.

Curry and Thompson’s combined 20 points was their lowest total for the season. Yet, the Warriors’ bench picked up the slack, and the defense limited the Cavaliers to 38.1 percent shooting.

The Splash Brothers will have to get going at some point, but the fact that they underperformed and the Cavaliers were still blown out does not bode well for Cleveland moving forward.

Game 2 will be Sunday at 5 p.m. PST.