It wasn’t pretty, but the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to execute well enough late to defeat an undermanned Golden State Warriors team 118-111 to cap off their three-game road trip.

This was a messy game for both sides. The Warriors were playing without several star players, including Steph Curry, and were also on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Cavs have struggled with their lack of size this road trip, with the injuries to Dean Wade (ankle) and Jaylon Tyson (toe). That, combined with an inability to take care of the ball — the Cavs turned it over 15 times, leading to 23 points off turnovers for Golden State — made for an uneven performance.

Cleveland controlled the game throughout most of the first three quarters. They pushed their lead to 13 late in the second quarter and had a 12-point advantage midway through the third.

Any momentum the Cavs had stalled out in the fourth quarter. The defense struggled to get stops in the final quarter and was also on the wrong end of a few calls. In one defensive possession, the Cavs were assessed a flagrant foul and two technicals. They were also on the wrong end of a made triple that same trip down the court.

The Warriors used that sequence to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but they weren’t able to create much separation. They could only push their advantage to four.

To the Cavs’ credit, they were able to fight through what was a frustrating game. Their late-game offensive execution was once again good, thanks in part to Max Strus. He knocked down two crucial threes late; his last was to make it a two-possession game with under a minute left in the fourth. Those triples, combined with some timely points from Jarrett Allen and James Harden, were enough to secure the victory.

As was mentioned earlier, turnovers were an issue. Harden and Donovan Mitchell combined to give it away nine times. Many of these were due to simply lacking focus.

Additionally, the defense struggled, even though the Warriors weren’t able to take advantage of it as they should’ve. The Cavs are missing size on the wing and have been forced into more four-guard lineups than head coach Kenny Atkinson would likely prefer to play. That, predictably, led to uneven results defensively.

Mitchell led the Cavs with 25 points on 7-14 shooting to go along with six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.

Strus poured in 24 points on 6-10 shooting from deep. The Cavs played their best basketball with him on the court as he led the team in plus/minus by being a +17.

Harden had 19 points on 7-11 shooting with five assists in the victory.

The free-throw issues for the bigs continued. Evan Mobley and Allen accounted for all of Cleveland’s eight missed foul shots. Mobley missed both of his attempts at the charity stripe. He finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Allen went 6-12 from the line. He provided 16 points and 13 rebounds.

The Warriors were led by 25 points from both Gui Santos and Brandon Podziemski. Kristaps Porzingis added in 16 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Draymond Green had eight points on 3-11 shooting with nine rebounds and nine assists.

It wasn’t pretty, but the win secured the Cavs a top-six spot in the playoffs for the fourth season in a row.

The Cavaliers will return home to take on the Indiana Pacers on Easter. Tip-off is at 6 PM.