Simple math will tell you that six isn't the same as 16, but for the Golden State Warriors, it could be in time.The Warriors continued their winning ways on Friday, taking down the new-look (and LeBron James-less) Cleveland Cavaliers112-94for their sixth consecutive victory (by an average of 17.8 points) since a bad back-to-back stint in L.A. The result also extended Golden State's streak of home success to 14 games, just one shy of the franchise record set a quarter century ago.For what might as well be the umpteenth time in recent history, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson took care of their share of the scoring load with a combined 47 points. Thompson poured in 20 of his 24 points in the first half before missing a stretch of the second while getting his forehead stitched up in the locker room.As usual, the Splash Brothers had plenty of help from the rest of Golden State's stacked roster. Four other Warriors scored in double figures, including Justin Holiday, who accounted for 14 points off the pine.The Cavswith J.R. Smith starting, Timofey Mozgov serving among the reserves and James watching in dapper dresswere plenty plucky, at least on the offensive end. Smith, who was held scoreless in his Cleveland debut, tallied a game-high 27 points. Mozgov came close to conjuring a double-double in his first action as a Cavalier.Meanwhile, the imbalance between Cleveland's incumbent stars continued. Kevin Love needed only 11 shots to pile up his 17 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Kyrie Irving, on the other hand, tallied as many tries (23) as points.Defensively, though, the Cavs struggled to keep up with the Dubs' fast-paced attack. Cleveland used a 7-0 run early in the third quarter to take what would be their only lead of the second half. Naturally, Golden State responded with an 11-0 spurt, highlighted by a brilliant full-court lob from Draymond Green (10 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, one steal) to Harrison Barnes (11 points, two boards, two assists).Cleveland managed to close the gap to 93-88 with just under six minutes to play, but saw its chances slip away amidst another impressive run (19-6) by the home team. All told, the Warriors took care of business both in the paint (40-28) and on the break (36-3), with an outstanding 35 assists on their 43 field goals.What's crazy is this team, which already owns the best record in basketball at 29-5, might just be getting started. Andrew Bogut, Golden State's anchor at center, chipped in four points, five rebounds and three assists in what was his second game since returning to action. Marreese Speights, who's been more than steady in Bogut's stead as a starter, went for 12 points and eight boards before fouling out. Holiday, with his fifth game of at least 10 points in his last nine outings, continued to solidify his standing as a dependable backup to Thompson at shooting guard.Not to mention that Andre Iguodala, the team's third-highest paid player, is still searching for his rhythm with the second unit. Also, Shaun Livingston, Curry's newest understudy, has filled in only on the fringes.That's no slight against those guys, but rather a word of praise for this team's ridiculous depth. The thing is the Warriors don't need guys like Iguodala, Livingston, Bogut and David Leeall of whom have started in the playoffs over the course of their respective careers but came off the bench on Fridayto stuff the stat sheet to any great degree in order for the whole squad to succeed.But any one of those contributors could come up big on any given night. Chances are, at least one of them will. And if that time comes in the postseason, it could be enough to win Steve Kerr's club a crucial game here and there.The playoffs, though, are still more than three months away. For now, the Warriors can and likely will train their attention on keeping their current roll going.Matching (or even exceeding) their franchise-record 16-game run from earlier this season won't be easy. The Warriors will have a long weekend to rest up ahead of a back-to-back in Utah and at home against Miami. Once that's done, they'll hit the road again to play in Oklahoma City and Houston on consecutive nights before returning to Oracle Arena to host the suddenly resurgent Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets to kick off a five-game home stand that ends when the Chicago Bulls come to town.While that stretch is far from a cakewalk for any squad and certainly won't be for Golden State, these Warriors have already taken care of those teams. They've proven that, right now, they're the best team in the league.And with the roster rounding into shape, they might only get better from here.Around the AssociationBrooklyn Scrapes Rock Bottom vs. SixersThe Philadelphia 76ers outscored the Brooklyn Nets 26-17 in the fourth quarter to hand Lionel Hollins club a fourth straight loss.Hollins had some harsh words for his team after the game, per Lenn Robbins of BrooklynNets.com:Nerlens Noel slammed home the games go-ahead bucket with 3.2 seconds left off of a nifty feed from Michael Carter-Williams to cap off the 90-88 victory. Philadelphia has now won two of its three games this week after taking down the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.Prior to Friday nights defeat, the Nets ranked 29th in fourth-quarter scoring, while the Sixers ranked 30th. However, Philadelphia was fueled by the hot hand of Robert Covington (20 points, 8-of-12 shooting) and Noels (12 points, five rebounds) impressive bounce down the stretch.Four of Brooklyns five starters finished in double figures, but the Nets were outscored 24-9 from beyond the arc by the leagues least efficient offense.Contributed by Alec NathanHawks Just Hot Enough to Stop Streaking PistonsWhat happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object'In the case of the Atlanta Hawks, now winners of seven in a row, it's a moot point, since they soared over the streaking Detroit Pistons instead.It was a close call, though. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a pretty good look at a game-tying three in the waning moments but couldn't connect. As a result, the Hawks escaped The Palace of Auburn Hills with a 106-103 win over a Pistons team that hadn't lost since paying Josh Smith to go away on Dec. 22.Detroit didn't let what had been a seven-game winning streakthe franchise's longest in six yearsgo without a fight. The Hawks pulled ahead by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, but a furious 17-6 run over the final four-and-a-half minutesfueled by 13 of KCP's game-high 20 pointsput the Pistons in position to potentially send the game into overtime.Trevor Booker's Miraculous Shot Not Enough for Jazz in OKCIf a player could earn extra points for the difficulty of a particular made shot, Trevor Booker might've single-handedly propelled the Utah Jazz to victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder with his freaky over-the-head flip-tap with 0.2 seconds on the shot clock:Alas, it was only worth twonot enough to keep OKC from surging ahead in the fourth for a 99-94 win, thanks in part to Dion Waiters' 15 points off the bench.Small Ball Not Chicago's Strong Suit in D.C.Derrick Rose didn't exactly bust out of his extended shooting slump in D.C.he hit just 2-of-8 attempts from outside the paint. Instead, he got aggressive, racking up 10 shots (and six makes) in the paint.Unfortunately for the Chicago Bulls, Rose's return to attack mode wasn't enough to overcome the Washington Wizards, who dominated the visiting team nearly from wire to wire in a 102-86 win.For the second time in as many games, the Bulls were punished for filling Mike Dunleavy's spot at small forward with Kirk Hinrich. The Kansas product scored just three points in his 21 minutes after going scoreless in 24 minutes during a 20-point loss to Utah on Wednesday.Meanwhile, Nikola Mirotic, who played fairly well in his only start of the season (vs. Boston), accounted for six points and five boards off the bench.Pelicans Provide Glimpse of Loaded PotentialBehind four 20-point scorers, the New Orleans Pelicans snapped a two-game losing streak and defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 106-95.Jrue Holiday led the way with game-highs of 23 points and eight assists, while Tyreke Evans chipped in 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists off the bench. Evans had started all but one game this season prior to Friday night, but was willing to return to the pine to better accommodate Eric Gordon's reintegration to the team, per Nakia Hogan of NOLA.com:Ryan Anderson and Anthony Davis added 20 points apiece, as the Pelicans shot 45.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. New Orleans has now captured wins over Memphis, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio and Oklahoma City dating back to Dec. 21.With the loss, Memphis has dropped six of its last 10, including three of its past four.Contributed by Alec NathanSpurs Defeat Phoenix, Stave Off Slide into No. 8 SeedThe San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns served a reminder that basketball is, indeed, a game of runs. They traded double-digit leads between the second and third quarters and swapped small advantages in the fourth before San Antonio created just enough separation to score a 100-95 win.With Tony Parker still working his way back from injury, Kawhi Leonard on the shelf and Manu Ginobili succumbing to back spasms, the Spurs turned to Danny Green, Cory Joseph and Patty Mills for perimeter support. That trio combined for 46 points, including 31 of the 41 points San Antonio logged during its fourth-quarter offensive flurry.As theSan Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald noted during the game, the winner would've wound up in seventh place in the West:Fortunately for the Spurs, they'll live to see another day above the eighth and final playoff spot, thanks to three wins in their last four outings.Quote of the DayReggie Jackson, via ESPN.com's Royce Young: coy or just confusing'Expect more of the same if Dion Waiters continues to siphon off Jackson's crunch-time opportunities with the Thunder, as he did against the Jazz on Friday.Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.Follow @JoshMartinNBA
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