Cavaliers at Warriors
Cleveland's annual regular-season visit to play Golden State isn't so highly anticipated in the post-LeBron James era. The Cavaliers have clinched the fifth 60-loss campaign in franchise history as they arrive for Friday's contest against the Warriors, who are closing in on the top seed in the Western Conference.
Golden State drubbed the Los Angeles Lakers 108-90 on Thursday to stretch its lead to two games over the Denver Nuggets with four games remaining. The Warriors also hold the tiebreaker edge after beating the Nuggets on Tuesday and are thriving with nine victories in their past 12 games. Cleveland has dropped seven straight games and stands 0-4 on a five-game road trip after falling 117-104 to the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. Power forward Kevin Love (shoulder) will likely miss his fourth straight game and could be done for the season.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cleveland), NBCS Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (19-60): Backup guard Jordan Clarkson scored 22 points against the Kings and has 25 20-point outings this season. "Jordan is who he is. Comes into the game and we rely on him to score for us and that's what he does," Cleveland coach Larry Drew told reporters after the loss. "He does it in bunches. I thought he played a solid game. I thought he got us going with some of the things he was doing offensively, but unfortunately just came up short." Rookie point guard Collin Sexton tallied 19 points to miss the 20-point mark for just the second time in the past 14 contests.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (54-24): Center DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Lakers for his second straight double-double as he is nearing top form after a devastating Achilles tendon injury 14-plus months ago. "I think he's just excited to be playing again," Kerr told reporters after Thursday's win. "You get an injury like that, everything comes into perspective. He missed a whole year and he's having so much fun on the court. He's a joy to coach. He's playing at a really high level. ... There's definitely excitement on his part to be heading to the playoffs for the first time in his career." Cousins has nine double-doubles in 28 games since his return from the injury.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Warriors have won the past four regular-season meetings, including a 129-105 triumph Dec. 5 in Cleveland.
2. The Cavaliers are an NBA-worst 6-34 on the road.
3. Golden State PG Stephen Curry scored just seven points on 3-of-14 shooting against the Lakers and is averaging 12 points over the past two games.