OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors won Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night in a game when Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined to shoot 8-for-27.

Somewhat surprisingly, no one was surprised afterward.

"We've got great players on this team," Thompson said after his club's 104-89 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opener of the Finals rematch.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Sunday, also in Oakland.

"Steph gets a lot of the headlines, and rightfully so," Thompson continued. "But we have so many great players that always show up on the biggest stage, and I am so proud of these guys."

Warriors reserves contributed 13 points to a 15-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters, propelling the defending champions to their fourth straight Finals win over the Cavaliers after Golden State fell behind 2-1 last season.

"The one thing we've talked about all year is if we defend and take care of the ball, then we're always going to have somebody score enough points for us," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "We played great defense (and) we had nine turnovers total, and that allowed us to control the game. And our bench obviously gave us a huge lift."

Cleveland led the Finals rematch for just 2 minutes, 29 seconds, including 68-67 on a layup by LeBron James with 2:12 remaining in the third period.

However, the Cavaliers, with James sitting most of the time, didn't score again for the next 4:10, during which the Warriors used their 15-point flurry to break the game open.

Andre Iguodala had five points and fellow backups Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa four apiece in the run, which produced an 82-68 advantage before Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving scored on a drive with 10:02 to go.

"Their bench came in and did a great job," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. "We took LeBron out toward the end of that third quarter, and a couple of minutes in the fourth quarter, and the game kind of got away from us."

James re-entered the game shortly thereafter, but Livingston added two more baskets and Harrison Barnes one, helping the Warriors go up 88-72 before they coasted home.

"Last year they won a championship because of their whole team and their bench," James said. "And they're here once again in the Finals because of their whole team. So nothing has really changed."

The Golden State All-Star backcourt of Curry and Thompson wasn't on the court for the fourth-quarter portion of the run, but it didn't matter on a night when the Warriors enjoyed a 45-10 scoring advantage off the bench.

"Klay got into foul trouble early. That took him out of rhythm," Kerr said. "Steph just had one of those night. It happens. Even the best players in the world have bad nights."

Seven Warriors, including reserves Livingston (team-high 20), Iguodala (12) and Barbosa (11), scored in double figures on a night when Curry was held to 11 points on 4-for-15 shooting and Thompson to nine on 4-for-12.

Livingston hit eight of his 10 shots, Iguodala five of his nine and Barbosa all five of his, helping the Warriors overcome their stars' shooting woes to finish at 49.4 percent from the field.

"I'm just really proud of the way everybody contributed," Curry said. "You don't win championships without the entire squad coming in and making an impact on games.

"Shaun came in, was so composed, got to his spot, had that confidence to knock them down. Andre the same way. (Barbosa) ... That's why we're here, everybody having an impact on our team in the game."

Draymond Green led the Warriors in rebounding with 11 and assists with seven to complement 16 points.

Irving had 26 points to lead Cleveland, but he did almost half his scoring from the free-throw line, where he went 11-for-12. He shot just 7-for-22 from the field, and the Cavaliers made just 38.1 percent as a team.

James had 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for Cleveland, which had lost just twice in its first 14 postseason games.

"Obviously, the game ball goes to Shaun Livingston," James said. "It don't matter what you do with Steph and Klay. Don't matter what you do with Draymond. Give up 45 points off the bench and 25 points off turnovers on the road, it's not a good ingredient to win."

Kevin Love (17 points, game-high 13 rebounds) and Tristan Thompson (10 points, 12 rebounds) also recorded double-doubles for the Cavaliers.

Cleveland, which led playoff teams in 3-point field goal percentage through the first three series at 43.3 percent, made only seven of its 21. The Warriors were 9-for-27.

Golden State, just three days removed from a historic comeback in the Western Conference finals, responded to a Cavaliers burst in the third quarter with one of its own, retaking the lead after losing it for the first time since the second minute of the game.

The Warriors led by as many as 11 early in the third period before Irving began a Cavaliers rally with two hoops, including a three-point play.

A seven-point burst featuring two baskets by Love propelled Cleveland into a 64-63 lead with 3:37 left in the quarter.

However, with Curry dropping in just his third basket of the game, a tough interior shot over James, the Warriors finished the quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 74-68 lead into the final period and begin the difference-making stretch.

"This is the same team who we had down 1-0 last year and they hit us twice," Green said. "I don't think we have any control over them."

NOTES: The winner of Game 1 in the Finals went on to win 22 of the past 32 championships. ... Warriors PG Shaun Livingston's 20 points were a postseason career high. His high during the regular season was just 17 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 14. ... Warriors PG Stephen Curry was held under 12 points once during the regular season and in Game 4 of the Western Conference first round against Houston. SG Klay Thompson, meanwhile, scored fewer than 10 points three times during the regular season. The Warriors went 5-0 in those games. ... The Cavaliers never scored more than 100 points in the six-game Finals last season and averaged just 93.5. ... Cavaliers SF LeBron James is appearing in his seventh Finals. He's just 1-6 in Game 1s. ... The defending champion is just 6-7 in NBA Finals rematches. ... The matchup of top seeds in their respective conferences is the first in the Finals since the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers met in 2008. ... Warriors C Anderson Varejao (one rebound, one assist in 3:19) is the first player in NBA history to have played for both finalists in the regular season.