Cavaliers at Warriors
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been waiting for another shot at the Golden State Warriors and will finally get it on Christmas Day. The Cavaliers, who lost the NBA Finals in six games to the Warriors, will visit Golden State on Friday with the two clubs again atop their respective conferences.
Cleveland will have to make some history to beat the Warriors, who ran their home regular-season winning streak to 31 straight with a 103-85 triumph over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. "The memories will come back as soon as we walk into the building," Cavaliers superstar LeBron James told reporters. “But also understand that it's one of 82, and I'm not going to put everything into this game.” While the Warriors have not lost a regular-season game at home in nearly 11 months, they did drop Game 2 of the Finals in their own building as James led Cleveland to a 95-93 overtime victory with 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. James averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists but Golden State took the best-of-seven set in six games.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (19-7): The big difference between the Finals and Friday’s matchup for Cleveland will be the presence of forward Kevin Love and point guard Kyrie Irving, who missed all or most of the series. Irving, who suffered a fractured kneecap in Game 1 of the Finals, made his return this week and will be monitored closely as the Cavaliers begin a stretch of four games in five nights. "It's a great opportunity for our fans to have five games on Christmas and for our game to continue to get so much exposure, but for us as a team, Friday will not be the end of our season, like it was in June,” James said. “…We want to play well, going against a great caliber team, the best team in our league right now, but it's not like the season ends if we lose or if we win, or whatever the case may be."
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (27-1): Golden State’s players are not singling out the matchup, either, and continue to roll through their schedule. “Our players are great about staying present and staying in the moment and taking the next game ahead of them,” Warriors interim coach Luke Walton told reporters. “Honestly, I haven’t heard a single thing (about the Cleveland game) from any of them. … “That’s the way it should be, because we know in this league that you can lose on any night, to any team. You show the other teams the proper respect by paying attention to them.” The Warriors do not expect to get coach Steve Kerr (back) or forward Harrison Barnes (ankle) back by Friday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Warriors G Stephen Curry scored a season-low 16 points in Wednesday’s win.
2. Cleveland has held opponents to 87.2 points during it six-game winning streak.
3. Golden State G Klay Thompson scored 20 or more points in eight of his last nine games.