Felder, who played 45 minutes in an overtime loss against the L.A. Defenders, led the Charge with 27 points, including a breakaway dunk that caught Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's attention. Watch video

SAN FRANCISCO -- While the Cleveland Cavaliers arrived in San Francisco for their upcoming game against the Golden State Warriors -- a Finals rematch on Monday -- rookie point guard Kay Felder took a detour to Los Angeles for a one-game stop with the Canton Charge, the Cavaliers' D-League affiliate. 

Felder, who played 45 minutes in Saturday's overtime loss against the L.A. Defenders, led the Charge with 27 points, including a breakaway dunk that caught Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's attention. 

Mah Man @2kayzero...straight out of the motor city....THROWS THE HAMMER DOWN!" https://t.co/ligmjqMYes

-- Dan Gilbert (@cavsdan) January 15, 2017

"Mah man," Gilbert tweeted. "Straight out of the motor city...THROWS THE HAMMER DOWN!"

You know someone is trying to make a point on Twitter when they go to the all-caps message ending with an exclamation point. But it seems warranted when a 5-foot-9 guard flushes one in transition. 

Felder also added seven rebounds and five assists. 

The last time Felder made a brief detour, playing a game with the Charge, he returned to the NBA a more confident player, scoring double-digit points in two straight against Charlotte and New Orleans.

Since then, minutes have been sporadic, which is why the Cavs will continue to look for opportunities to get him some work in the D-League.

Felder rejoined the Cavaliers Sunday. The team will practice in the afternoon. 

The Buckeyes picked up their first Big Ten win with a win over Michigan State on Sunday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State can breathe a little.

The Buckeyes basketball team, desperate for win in any fashion it could get one, beat Michigan State 72-67, on Sunday at Value City Arena.

That sound you hear is a sigh of relief from Thad Matta and everyone else associated with the program. Relief because the Buckeyes snapped a four-game Big Ten losing streak to start conference play, and relief because this win wasn't a certainty until the game's final minutes.

Kam Williams split a pair of free throws that put Ohio State up 71-67 with 20.3 seconds left. For some reason, Michigan State dribbled out 18 seconds before missing a forced 3-pointer that was rebounded by Jae'Sean Tate to seal the win.

JaQuan Lyle led Ohio State with 21 points, hitting five of his seven 3-pointers while dishing out six assists and pulling down four rebounds. He spear-headed a crucial Ohio State run in the second half.

To get a win, Ohio State was had to start hitting big shots, and that's what happened to break open was a back-and-forth game for much of the second half.

Lyle hit a contested 3 that put the Buckeyes up 59-58 with 7:14 left. That started a 10-0 run that included another bucket from Lyle, then a dunk from Thompson and a 3 from Jae-Sean Tate -- both on assists from Lyle. That put the Buckeyes up 66-58.

That stretch essentially won Ohio State the game. The Buckeyes made one field goal in the final almost four minutes of the game, but held on for the final margin.

Jae'Sean Tate (12 points), Marc Loving (12), Trevor Thompson (10) and Kam Williams (10) also finished in double-figures for the Buckeyes (11-7, 1-4 Big Ten). Ohio State shot 43 percent from the 3-point line (10-23) and 70 percent from the foul line (14-20).

What it means

The Buckeyes aren't out of the hole, but for that to start, they had to get a win. With their best 40-minute effort of the season, they snapped their losing streak.

Buckeyes weather early Michigan State run

The Spartans started 6-for-6 from the field, and it was the kind of thing that would've put Ohio State in an early insurmountable hole during the early portion of Big Ten play. The Buckeyes, who preached having more toughness coming into the game, didn't falter in the way that would've been expected.

Instead they went on  a 7-0 run, then an 11-0 run and led by as much as seven in the first half. The thing Ohio State limited in the first half? Offensive rebounds.

Those killed the Buckeyes when they got blown out by Wisconsin on Thursday night. On Sunday, Michigan State didn't have an offensive rebound until the final seconds of the first half. It led to a big late 3-pointer that cut the Buckeyes' lead to 36-33 at the break, but Ohio State had to be happy with limiting second-chance opportunities for the Spartans.

After starting the game 6-for-6, Michigan State went 6-for-19 (31 percent) for the rest of the half. Defense and rebounding kept Ohio State from going in an early hole.

What's next?

Ohio State is back on the road -- that's four road trips in six games -- on Wednesday night at Nebraska. The 9 p.m. tip-off from Lincoln will be televised on Big Ten Network.

From time to time following practice or shootaround, Jones, who once labeled himself the "the best shooter in the world," will play Kyrie Irving in a game of P-I-G, one complete with plenty of trash talk. Watch video

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Cleveland Cavaliers' best shooter might be a guy who spends game nights on the bench wearing a suit and tie: Assistant coach Damon Jones. 

From time to time following practice or shootaround, Jones, who once labeled himself the "the best shooter in the world," will play Kyrie Irving in a game of P-I-G, one complete with plenty of friendly trash talk.

After Sunday's practice at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, the Cavs' first practice in 18 days, the two resumed their series. 

Watch the video above, as Jones punctuates his latest win with "sayonara" and a strut to the other end of the court. 

Ohio State got its first Big Ten win on Sunday, snapping a four-game skid by beating Michigan State. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State basketball got the win it desperately needed, beating Michigan State 72-67 on Sunday and snapping a four-game losing streak.

With Buckeyes coach Thad Matta under heat for the last two-plus years from some in the fan base, we're wondering if that win was enough to back the dogs off a little bit. Was it one win and who cares? Or are you willing to take a team that's 1-4 in Big Ten play and see if it can get some momentum going?

So after the win we're asking two key questions: Was that win what Ohio State fans were looking for? And can Ohio State keep winning in the fashion it did on Sunday?

Watch the video here to hear Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis break it down.

Ohio State got its first Big Ten win on Sunday against Michigan State. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- JaQuan Lyle knew the date.

Ohio State basketball hadn't won a game since Dec. 22, a non-conference nail-biter against UNC Asheville. At the time, maybe that should've been more of an indicator of what was to come. The Buckeyes weren't playing their best ball, and that close one spilled over into a four-game losing streak to start Big Ten play.

That streak came to a head with a thorough butt-kicking from Wisconsin last Thursday night.

The Buckeyes needed a win on Sunday against Michigan State. They got it. Whew.

"It's a good feeling," Lyle said after Ohio State's 72-67 win.

"We haven't won since Dec. 22. It's a wonderful feeling. I think it's a great start, but we gotta keep fighting through the Big Ten season. Tonight we showed that we can play, compete and that's what we're gonna have to do throughout the rest of the Big Ten season."

Ohio State played better defense, holding an opponent under 70 points for the first time in six games. The Buckeyes got big shots from Lyle (5-for-7 from 3), and Jae'Sean Tate and C.J. Jackson -- who hit big 3s down the stretch. They battled for lose balls and turned 17 Michigan State turnovers into 16 points.

Lyle called it the most complete game Ohio State has put together this season. It's hard to argue against that, even with some turnovers in the second half that could have proved costly had Ohio State not held Michigan State to three field goals in the final four minutes.

Thad Matta called that a little bit of comic relief. In addition to not playing well, just about everything that could have gone wrong against Ohio State seemed to happen during the four-game skid. Things got a little wonky on Sunday, and the Buckeyes stayed in it.

"The other night when Wisconsin caught fire, we caved a little bit," Matta said.

The Buckeyes got some breaks on Sunday, and stayed in the game when Michigan State started 6-for-6 from the field, and took the lead away from the Buckeyes for short spurts in the second half.

Did Matta silence any critics with the win?

So lets' reset, because now the focus needs to be on whether or not Ohio State can get back in a Big Ten race that looks like it's going to be tightly-contested.

"We need wins to compete for the Big Ten regular season," senior forward Marc Loving said. "We want to compete for that, and this is a good start."

Ohio State (11-7, 1-4 Big Ten) has 13 conference games left. To reach double-digit Big Ten wins for the 12th consecutive season, the Buckeyes need to go at least 9-4 the rest of the way. They just beat a Michigan State team (12-7, 4-2) that came into Sunday tied for the conference lead.

Ken Pomeroy's advance stat metrics give the Buckeyes a 47 percent chance of winning on the road Wednesday night at Nebraska, then a better than 50 percent chance of winning the next two at home against Northwestern and Minnesota.

Those are hardly exact projections. Let's look at it this way: Using the KenPom ratings as our measurement, Ohio State is No. 9 in the Big Ten right now, having just beat No. 6 Michigan State. There are five games left against the teams ranked below the Buckeyes: Nebraska twice, Iowa, Penn State and Rutgers. For the sake of giving Ohio State some benefit of the doubt, let's give the Buckeyes five wins there.

So that would give them eight games remaining against the teams above them in the Big Ten:

* Home: Northwestern, Minnesota, Maryland, Wisconsin, Indiana.

* Away: Michigan, Michigan State, Maryland.

Those are the kind of wins that would move the Buckeyes up in the conference standings and give them something to stand on when it came to evaluating a potential NCAA Tournament resume.

Is there a path to a tournament bid in there?

If there is, it's going to have to look an awful lot like Sunday's win over Michigan State.

Ohio State's calling card, if you can even call it that, is its defense. It was better on Sunday, but Michigan State still shot 50 percent aided by that hot start. What the Buckeyes did do is force a couple key shot clock violations in the second half, and took some possessions away with steals.

The way the Buckeyes are built, it's got to be defense before anything else. Unless they plan on shooting 3-pointers the way they did against Michigan State.

"I didn't think they'd shoot it that well to be honest with you," Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. He seemed a bit dumbfounded by it.

Why wouldn't he think that? Ohio State hasn't been a good shooting team all year, and though its numbers from deep have been better in Big Ten play, the 43 percent (10-23) the Buckeyes shot on Sunday probably won't be the norm.

No, to get wins this team will have to grind out defensive possessions like it did at times against Michigan State and hit big shots down the stretch like Lyle, Tate and Jackson did.

Sunday's win wasn't a guarantee of anything, but it was much-needed assurance that Ohio State is better than the team that got embarrassed against Wisconsin.

"I thought we quit," Lyle said of that loss.

On Sunday they fought.

Whether or not that kind of play is sustainable for the next 13 games, we'll find out soon enough. Whatever happens moving forward will be done without a key contributor in Keita Bates-Diop. Three of Ohio State's starters played 35-plus minutes on Sunday.

Starting 0-4 in Big Ten play is a mighty big hole to climb out of. Getting to 1-4 is a start, but there's still a long way out from here.

It just might be that Ohio State is starting to see a little bit of light.

"We got a dealt a blow here a couple weeks ago losing Keita. We've had a tough go," Matta said. "I don't know, maybe there's a couple teams that wouldn't have been 0-4 going into today's game, but there's some who would be. As I told our guys the other day, I was 10-9 at Xavier and four weeks later were playing the Elite Eight -- just keep fighting, man."

The Buckeyes beat Michigan State on Sunday for their first Big Ten win of the season.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Analyzing Thad Matta's status at Ohio State requires more than a recitation of his Wikipedia bio. Yes, the Buckeyes, starting from the 34-win season of 2011, have won fewer games each of the last five seasons and were off to a 10-7 start before Sunday's 72-67 home win over Michigan State.

But what do you think Ohio State should do about it? Then explain what you think Ohio State will do about it. Decide this first. Do the Buckeyes have no chance to get back to what they were under Matta at their peak?

Because here's what I saw Sunday at the first Ohio State basketball game I watched in person this season.

* Matta, in a tie for the first time in two seasons, red-faced and screaming on the sideline as he battled Tom Izzo, one of the best coaches in college basketball history, toe-to-toe again. (Matta is now 12-15 against Izzo after the Buckeyes broke a five-game losing streak to the Spartans.)

* The Buckeyes leaning on their starters for heavy playing time as they soaked up 169 of the 200 minutes, each of the starters scoring in double figures.

* In a tight game down the stretch, the Buckeyes taking a couple charges and creating several shot-clock violations by the Spartans with scrambling help defense.

* A win over a good team when they needed it.

That win could have come in 2007 or 2010 or 2012, that style, those results.

Breakdown: Did win silence Matta's critics?

Matta, who stopped wearing a tie two seasons ago, put it back on because his daughter asked him to as a present for her 18th birthday. Then the Buckeyes locked down. There have been times the last two seasons when you wondered if Matta liked his team, when so little about what he preached matched what happened on the court. Thursday's 23-point blowout at Wisconsin made you wonder that.

There was a lot of the-end-is near social media action after that one.

This was Ohio State basketball at its best, albeit against a Spartans team that dropped to 12-7 with the loss. One win doesn't make a season, but neither does an 0-4 start in Big Ten play deserve to end a career.

Anyone disputing thoughts of a coaching change in mid-January ends up sounding like a Matta defender. But looking at three Big Ten road losses (two to ranked teams), a one-point home loss to ranked Purdue and a two-point road loss to ranked Virginia and terming this a crisis, well, if that's the threshold for ending this thing, then consider this a defense.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith gave me a "c'mon, you know better than to ask me that," when I tailed him out of the arena after the win and asked for what he thought of Matta. But he stopped.

"Thad is an outstanding coach. We wouldn't be where we are today without his help," Smith said. "Great job today. Proud of him."

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo brought up criticism of Matta on his own in his postgame remarks, while also noting he couldn't believe some of the 3-pointers the Buckeyes made.

"I shouldn't say this, but I'm happy for him," Izzo said in defeat, in a way that allowed you to totally understand how a losing coach could say that about a friend he's competed against for 13 seasons. "From the standpoint of the way people treat him around here, I'm happy for him. He's won a lot of games here and he and I have played in a lot of championships here."

It's been that kind of year for every Big Ten coach with multiple conference titles. Look at this list (Purdue's Matt Painter, with one, is the only other active conference coach with a Big Ten title.)

* Izzo (7 Big Ten titles) is 12-7 and 4-2 in the Big Ten.

* Indiana's Tom Crean (2 Big Ten titles) is 12-6 and 2-3 in the Big Ten.

* Michigan's John Beilein (2 Big Ten titles) is 12-6 and 2-3 in the Big Ten.

* And Matta (5 Big Ten titles) is 11-7 and 1-4 in the Big Ten.

You'll find criticism of all of them.

"I get ticked off," Izzo said. "It happens at my place, too. ... Nobody is satisfied with anything anymore. I felt for him a little bit because schedule. The schedule is tough."

There is, of course, plenty of room to criticize the general state of the OSU program, with this 11-7 start following last season's 21-14 NIT season. But few seem to be able to question that without suggesting that the 49-year-old with the back issues and the .742 winning percentage at Ohio State is done. Plenty of people have looked at the Wikipedia bio, thrown up their arms and said, "Looks like a problem, chief."

So would you fire him tomorrow? Would you somehow backtrack through the five regular-season Big Ten titles, the five Sweet Sixteens, the streak of seven straight NCAA appearances that ended last season and the eight first-round draft picks and now ask more questions of good it really was?

Here's the reality. 

Last year wasn't good enough. Everyone knows it.

The start of this year wasn't good enough. Everyone knows it.

The recruiting hit a rocky patch. Everyone knows it.

But if you believe the recruiting woes were built on going too national and losing too many Ohio kids, that's what they're trying to fix now. If you believe the fire and defense and togetherness and competitiveness that had defined Matta's best teams have been lacking, that's what they tried to show Sunday.

Sunday didn't mean everything is OK. 

But why are you so sure that a 23-point loss Thursday was the sign that it's over for the winningest coach in program history?

Sunday, winning a tight game over Michigan State, the Buckeyes went back in time. It was one-day proof of what was already true - Thad Matta deserves more time.

The Cavs have enjoyed relative success against Stephen Curry over the last three seasons, and Tyronn Lue said they wouldn't change their game plan from Christmas. Watch video

SAN FRANCISCO -- Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said his team wouldn't change its plan from Cleveland's 109-108 win over Golden State on Christmas, which could mean Iman Shumpert will guard Stephen Curry in the rematch Monday.

Though Lue said he wasn't sure yet who would defend the two-time defending MVP, it was DeAndre Liggins who matched up with Curry on Dec. 25 and hounded him all over the floor.

Shumpert has since been inserted for Liggins in the starting lineup, and in the 2016 Finals he guarded Curry when he (Shumpert) came off the bench.

Lue's other option would be to start Kyrie Irving on Curry -- which is what Lue did in the Finals. But that was in a series when the Cavs had several days to install a defense in which they switched on every screen and could adjust from game to game.

Whomever the Cavs have assigned to Curry, the plan has largely worked. They'd like that to continue when the latest installment of the Cleveland-Warriors rivalry commences at 8:30 p.m.

"We just put a lot of pressure on him to physically take the punishment all game," Shumpert said. "We put a strong, athletic guy on him. When we guard him, guarding him up the floor, trying to get into his legs.

"Throughout the game if you consistently guard somebody that way at the end of the game, if they're last five minutes isn't as up to par, you feel like you did your job because you wore on him the whole game."

Curry scored 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting on Christmas against Liggins, who pressed Curry behind halfcourt and made him dribble up the floor against pressure.

And in Game 7 of the Finals -- a series in which Curry was playing with nagging injuries -- he scored 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting with four turnovers.

LeBron says Warriors NBA's best team

Curry was miserable in the fourth quarter of Game 7, shooting 1-of-6. He was actually 2-of-3 in the final quarter on Christmas, but the Warriors blew a 14-point lead and Curry couldn't help bail them out.

Curry was the NBA's top scorer at 30.1 points per game last season, and he also obliterated the 3-point records he set in 2014-15. This season, his production has dropped in nearly every major statistical category, though a part of that has to be the addition to the roster of Kevin Durant -- a former MVP who demands the ball.

But when Lue draws up his defensive plan for the Warriors (keep in mind, they have Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, too), he said "a lot of it" is focused on Curry.

"He's in the pick-and-rolls (and) if you're big's not aware, not up, that's a 3-point shot and he's gonna make it 9 times out of 10," Lue said. "So you always have to be aware of where he's at, have to be aware of their bigs when they're setting screens because they spread the screens. And we just gotta be aware."

Dating back to Jan. 5, 2015, the Cavs and Warriors have played 18 times. Curry's averaging 23.55 points in those games, shooting 43.2 percent (he's a 47.7 percent shooter for his career). He's had four 30-point games during that stretch and drained seven 3s on four different occasions.

"Putting bigger guards on him has worked in the past but, we said it works and he's still averaging (23.55) points," Lue said. "But just try and wear him down, try and keep a big body on him because we know he can score in spurts, he can score fast. So we just want to try and wear him down as much as possible."

That would seem to be the job for Shumpert. He's 6-5 and is known first as a defender. Lue said Liggins would also come off the bench and guard Curry.

Shumpert scored 16 points Friday in just his second start this season. If it is indeed his assignment to chase Curry all over the court Monday, he not have the legs to shoot 6-of-9 like he did against the Sacramento Kings.

But the Cavs can live with that.

"You just gotta stay consistent with guys like that because they have the ball so much that no matter what you do they're going to get in a rhythm," Shumpert said. "You just gotta survive their runs they go on and hopefully you've done your job as far as getting in to him and applying pressure the whole game. You see the effects of that pressure in the last few minutes of the game."

The other issue, one Cleveland didn't have to contend with in the first 17 meetings of the rivalry, is Kevin Durant. He scored 36 in his first game as a Warrior against the Cavs.

"When you're able to have Steph have a bad game, which is not very often, they have a guy who can go get it one on one," Lue said. "We've tried to do a good job of taking Klay out, taking Steph out, taking the 3-point shooting out. If you do that nowadays, when Kevin is here now he can go one on one, he can go score 40.

"So, that's a different dynamic they have on their team."

St. Vincent-St. Mary won, while Garfield Heights and Cleveland Heights suffered losses at the boys basketball event. Standouts included Ohio State commit Dane Goodwin and Pickerington North's Jerome Hunter.

KETTERING, Ohio – Two cleveland.com Top 25 boys basketball teams left the annual Flyin’ to the Hoop event near Dayton with losses.

The only victorious team, No. 4 St. Vincent-St. Mary, still had a 38-point loss Saturday against Division II state power Trotwood-Madison.

STVM rebounded Sunday with a 64-56 win Sunday against Pickerington North. The victory capped a two-day trip to Dayton for the Fighting Irish, but second-ranked Cleveland Heights and No. 6 Garfield Heights left Kettering Fairmont’s Trent Arena with little to no momentum.

Cleveland Heights (7-4) lost its second straight game with a 77-66 setback vs. Centerville. Garfield Heights (9-3) suffered what coach Sonny Johnson called his program’s worst performance at Flyin’ to the Hoop. Upper Arlington beat the Bulldogs, 62-34, behind 34 points from junior guard and Ohio State commit Dane Goodwin.

STVM (7-4) had its own challenge in 6-foot-7 junior Jerome Hunter, ranked third in his class for Ohio by 247Sports.com. Goodwin is fifth for Upper Arlington, and both left Sunday with monster games.

Hunter put up 29 points and 15 rebounds for the Panthers (10-5).

“By the second quarter he was breathing hard,” said STVM’s Jon Williams, who guarded Hunter. “He earned his points.”

Irish coach Dru Joyce said Williams, at 6-foot, asked to guard the bigger Hunter. Williams said he hoped the challenge could inspire his teammates after Saturday’s 100-62 loss to Trotwood-Madison.

“We definitely had to make sure that we came back with some fire,” Williams said. “If I was going to get him, I had to play with intensity and the guys had to bring it, which they did.”

Jayvon Graves scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Irish. Williams added nine points and played all but three minutes.

Jayvon Graves doing @JayGravess23 things at Flyin to the Hoop. pic.twitter.com/z5YPHpEIPs

— Matt Goul (@mgoul) January 15, 2017

Meanwhile, Upper Arlington (12-1) provided another challenge with Goodwin and Co. The Golden Bears entered the week ranked sixth in Columbus by 270Hoops.com after suffering their only loss to Columbus Northland.

Goodwin’s 34 points were just one shy of his career high. Shawn Christian led the Bulldogs with 18, while Marreon Jackson added 12. Garfield Heights shot 12-of-47 after a competitive first quarter.

“This was probably the worst lost we had,” Johnson said. “We’ve played teams that were ranked No. 1 and 5 or 7 in the country but never got beat like that.”

Cleveland Heights tried to claw back from an early deficit, but could not overcome the Elks despite Yahel Hill’s game-high 24 points. Jaylen Harris added 20 points and eight rebounds.

Keegan Saben led Centerville (6-4) with 21 points, while Sam Lash added 17. The Elks shot 27-of-42, including 9-of-13 from the 3-point line.

“We appreciate the experience,” Cleveland Heights coach Jeremy Holmes said. “It’s something to grow on. We know those kind of teams make it far in the tournament.”

Check back Monday for video highlights from the event and Tuesday for the plays of the week.

Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com). Or log in and leave a message below in the comments section.

The numbers seem to back it up. The Warriors have increased their points per game, point differential and field goal percentage from last season. Watch video

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Cleveland Cavaliers will walk into Oracle Arena on Monday evening, their first time back since winning the NBA championship last June.

While most teams dread the trip to what has become one of the league's most imposing buildings, the Cavaliers have plenty of fond memories after rallying from a 3-1 deficit and capping their historic NBA Finals comeback in a thrilling Game 7 at Oracle.

"I think when you walk into the building, you'll initially have some thoughts of it," LeBron James said Sunday, following the Cavaliers' first practice in nearly three weeks. "I think all of us will, no matter where you were at that time and place, if you're at that arena, you're just going to remember where you were back in June.

"But I'm in a different place right now than I was in June. It's a different mindset. I'm in a different situation right now."

Kyrie Irving will be able to point to the spot on the right wing where he buried a 3-pointer. Kevin Love can relive his stop on Stephen Curry in what appeared to be an obvious mismatch with the game on the line. James might have flashbacks to The Block, one of James' signature plays in a career that has been defined by them. And perhaps the visitor's locker room will still have that intoxicating odor -- a unique mix of champagne and beer.

Then, after the nostalgia vanishes, it will be time for the second matchup of the season between the league's two best teams. 

"They're even more dangerous," James admitted. "They're even more dangerous than they were last year and that's pretty hard to say because they were a damn great team last year and they're even better this year."

The numbers seem to back it up. The new-look Warriors have increased their points per game, point differential and field goal percentage from last season.

James -- and the Cavaliers -- got a taste of that potential on Christmas Day.

Kevin Durant, the Warriors' prized pickup in the off-season, made his debut in the rivalry, scoring a game-high 36 points to go with 15 rebounds.

"Well, what it did was when you're able to have Steph have a bad game, which is not very often, they have a guy who can go get it one on one," Lue said of Durant. "So you always have that guy who can go get it on his own. So, we've tried to do a good job of taking Klay (Thompson) out, taking Steph out, taking the 3-point shooting out. If you do that nowadays, when Kevin is here now he can go one on one, he can go score 40. So, that's a different dynamic they have on their team."

In the much-anticipated Finals rematch, Golden State led for all but 42 seconds. However, just like Game 7 in June, the Cavs saved their best for the final minutes, coming through with numerous clutch plays, including Irving's game-winning fadeaway jumper and a defensive stop, which the NBA admitted should've been a foul on Richard Jefferson for tripping Durant.

Since then, the Cavaliers are 6-4, having to navigate food poisoning, Irving's hamstring issue, rest and an altered roster.

The Warriors, meanwhile, are 7-1, with the lone loss coming against the Memphis Grizzlies, a night they blew a 24-point lead that re-opened questions about chemistry and late-game offense.

"I don't pay that much attention to what they're trying to do as far as fitting in," James said. "You have to be around them every day to know that. But they're a great team, a hell of a team, probably one of the best teams ever assembled and they're going to continue to get better and better as the season goes along."

The NBA's newest rivalry has had its share of heated moments, with some trash talk mixed in. But the Cavs' comments were nothing but respectful toward the Western Conference leaders even after Thompson called the mocking of Golden State's blown 3-1 lead at James' annual Halloween party "childish" in an interview this week with USA Today. 

"That's far removed, man," James said when asked about the decorations, which included a dummy dressed as Curry on the ground that guests had to walk over, according to ESPN. "There were a lot of people featured. I was also featured in there too. But that's water under the bridge."

The chatter is over. It's time to focus on the next game, as the Cavs are looking to extend their winning streak against the Warriors to five. And while Cleveland has a new piece its trying to implement, Kyle Korver, Lue is going into Monday's game with the same plan that has led to that recent success.

"Really no adjustments," he said. "We're going to do what we did that day. Get down the stretch of the game, if we got to adjust to win the game we will, pretty much just going into the game doing what we do."

That means playing small, playing fast and launching 3-pointers  -- even though that plays into Golden State's strengths.

"We're not going to change our game because we're playing Golden State, and I told you that in the Finals," Lue said. "We gotta play faster, gotta push basketball, make them turn it over so we can get out in transition.

"We're going to play our game. Nothing's gonna change."

Justin Thomas is in great shape to secure back-to-back PGA Tour victories in Hawaii.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Justin Thomas led by seven shots entering the final round of the PGA Tour's Sony Open on Sunday in Honolulu.

Thomas went 59-64-65 for 22-under. Zach Johnson (69-61-65) was in second. Three players were tied for third at 14-under.

Sunday's tee times

The PGA Tour's Hawaiian play-cation concludes with the Sony Open. Last week, at the SBS Tournament in Maui, Thomas shot 22-under 270 to defeat Hideki Matsuyama by three shots. Three players, including Jordan Spieth, were six back.

Spieth and Thomas are close friends. Spieth was ninth at 12-under at Sony.

Sunday's live leaderboard:

PGA TOUR

SONY OPEN

Site: Honolulu.

Course: Waialae Country Club.

Purse: $6 million (First prize: $1.08 million).

Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Saturday, 7-10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 6-10 p.m.).

Defending champion: Fabian Gomez.

Last tournament: Justin Thomas won the SBS Tournament of Champions.

Notes: Ernie Els in 2003 is the last player to win both Hawaii events in the same year. ... Justin Rose is playing as part of the tour's new "Strength of Field" policy that requires players to compete in a tournament they have not played in the past four years. ... Nine players from Kapalua are not at the Sony Open, including three players in the top 10: Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson. Johnson is playing next week in Abu Dhabi. ... Branden Grace is playing the Sony Open, then heads straight to Abu Dhabi for the European Tour event. ... The field at Waialae includes 60-year-old Fred Funk. ... The Sony Open has been played at Waialae every year since 1971. The only tournaments with a longer consecutive run at the same course are at Augusta National (1934), Pebble Beach (1947) and Colonial (1950). ... Davis Love III set the course record with a 60 in 1994. ... Tadd Fujikawa was a Monday qualifier. He tied for 20th as a 16-year-old in the 2007 Sony Open. ... Jordan Spieth is playing the Sony Open for the second time. He missed the cut in 2014.

Next week: CareerBuilder Challenge.

Online: www.pgatour.com

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Here's what you need to know about this year's big game, Super Bowl 51.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Super Bowl LI (51) will be played Sunday, Feb. 5, at NRG Stadium in Houston, home of the Houston Texans.

The NFL returns to Roman numerals this year after a one-year hiatus to celebrate Super Bowl 50. Here's what you need to know about this year's big game:

Teams: AFC champion vs. NFC champion (to be determined).

What: Super Bowl LI (51).

When: Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. ET.

TV: FOX.

Announcers: Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (analysis), Erin Andrews (sideline), Chris Myers (sideline).

Halftime show: Lady Gaga.

On Monday, when the Cavaliers make their lone regular season trip to Oracle Arena, Korver will get his first taste of the explosive matchup.

SAN FRANCISCO -- During the last two years, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors were producing numerous riveting games, including an epic NBA Finals matchup in June, Kyle Korver was watching from afar -- just like a fan.

On Monday, when the Cavaliers make their lone regular season trip to Oracle Arena, Korver will get to take part in the explosive matchup for the first time.

"It's a rivalry it feels like," Korver said Sunday, following his first official practice with the Cavaliers. "I don't know how many of them there are in the NBA right now, but this feels like it's at the top. Those are fun to be a part of. They're heated, they're competitive, there are great players on both sides and these guys have played against each other so much the last couple of years. This is my first time walking into it so I'm just going to try to add to what they've been doing."

It goes both ways. The Cavaliers, coming off a hard-fought 109-108 win against the Warriors in Cleveland on Christmas, will be able to show off their newest weapon.

"This is a different dynamic they haven't seen," head coach Tyronn Lue said of Korver. "A guy running off pindowns, off screens. The style in which he plays is really different from what they've seen the past two years from our team, so we'll just see how they adjust to that."

While Korver admitted he's still trying to erase what he learned in Atlanta and isn't yet used to the new terminology, he's coming off his best performance with the Cavs, scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 4-of-6 from 3-point range during Friday's win against the Sacramento Kings.

The Cavs helped his transition by playing to his strengths and making him more comfortable with the use of off-the-ball movement. 

"We have a lot of weapons on this team and feel like I'm just an extra piece we're trying to fit into this system we run here," Korver said. "But everything goes through first LeBron (James), then Kyrie (Irving) and then Kevin (Love). I feel like there's so much attention on those guys it's hopefully going to open up things for me. We have to be smart about it though. I can't act like I have to...I don't want to change the team. I don't want to change what has been working for these guys. Just add to it. That's the challenge for us."

The Warriors will provide a different kind of test. Since their controversial one-point loss on Dec. 25, they have won seven of eight games, beating opponents by an average of 8.6 points. But they're also 0-3 against the Cavs, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets this season.

They've lost four straight overall against Cleveland, a streak that dates back to Game 5 of last year's Finals, and are still working through their own integration issues. 

Monday becomes the latest chapter in this sometimes-heated rivalry. Both teams have downplayed the significance of the matchup, referring to it as "just one game."

Only this time, Korver won't be a spectator.

"Elite players on both sides and there's flexibility on both sides," he said. "Both sides can throw out lots of different lineups -- go big or go small. But I think it all comes down to the best players (in the NBA), a lot of them, are on these two teams. I'm excited to be a part of it."

In the second episode of The Unnamed (for now) cleveland.com Sports Podcast, Doug Lesmerises and Zack Meisel debate whether it's worth the time commitment to pay attention to the Cavs' regular-season games and whether the Indians -- a World Series team that improved over the winter -- will actually be better in 2017. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers and Warriors will battle in the Bay Area on Monday evening. At last, a reason to watch a Cavaliers regular-season tilt.

Well, that's one point of debate in the second episode -- by golly, they let us do another one of these -- of The Unnamed (for now) cleveland.com Sports Podcast, featuring Doug Lesmerises and Zack Meisel.

We touched on the psychological warfare involved in the Cavs-Warriors rivalry in our debut podcast (which you can access below; we also talked Browns, and briefly touched on the Indians).

This time, we discussed whether it's worth the time commitment to watch the Cavs' regular season games, marquee matchups against the Warriors excluded. Zack created a list of things he'd rather watch than a nondescript regular-season NBA game. Doug implored Cleveland fans to appreciate every moment LeBron James steps onto the hardwood. Is it time to start "The LeBron James Appreciation Clock?" 

But did the Cavs' championship remove some of the pre-June luster? Is there any reason to watch, other than to appreciate James' transcendent talent and to pray no key player suffers a long-term injury? 

We switched gears to chat about the Indians, who report to spring training in Goodyear, Arizona in four weeks. Terry Francona's bunch advanced to extra innings of Game 7, and then improved over the winter. But will they actually be better? Baseball can be fickle.

Is there any scenario, short of a rash of injuries, in which the Indians don't win the American League Central? What could potentially be the club's Achilles' heel?

To listen to Episode 2 of The Unnamed cleveland.com Sports Podcast, click the orange and white play button above. Download our podcast, subscribe to it on iTunes and tell your friends and tell them to tell their friends to give it a listen.

Our goal is to provide you with a diversion. Whether you're faking your way through the workday or faking your way through your trip to the gym or driving around, we want you to have compelling sports talk. Our intention is to offer conversation on outside-the-box topics that you can't find in other places, entertaining and -- if we're lucky that day -- humorous dialogue and guests who are closer than anyone to the teams they cover.

In our debut podcast, we welcomed Mary Kay Cabot to chat about whether the Browns are set up to make the right decisions this offseason and play "Browns player or nationally renowned artist?" We also chatted about the Cavs and Indians. Check it out below.

Unnamed cleveland.com Sports Podcast: Ep. 1

Ohio native Garbrandt and No.1 bantamweight contender Dillashaw will serve as coaches on the next season of "the Ultimate Fighter."

CLEVELAND, Ohio - After his surprising upset of Dominick Cruz last month, Ohio native Cody Garbranddt has his next opponent.

The UFC announced Sunday that Garbrandt and former Team Alpha Male teammate TJ Dillashaw will serve as coaches on the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter." The two will fight for Garbrandt's Bantamweight Championship at the show's conclusion.

The 25^th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" will debut April 19 and should be a heated one. Garbrandt and Dillashaw have been exchanging words through the media for months now. The season will feature previous contestants on the show and other former UFC fighters.

Garbrandt is a native of Uhrichsville, Ohio and currently lives in Sacramento. The undefeated champ has expressed interest in future fights in Cleveland or Columbus.

The Cavaliers could use a big man to add interior defense and scoring in their chase for a second NBA title. Who best fits the description? Cleveland.com sports columnists Doug Lesmerises and Bud Shaw discuss that in their video debate series, Prepare for List Off. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - On the day the Cavs acquired Kyle Korver from the Atlanta Hawks, LeBron James told us he'd only say it one more time: the team needs a backup point guard.

Is it safe to assume on the day the Cavs acquire a backup point guard, James will applaud the deal and suggest what the Cavs need next is a big man who can play some defense?

Timfoey Mozgov recently was heard pining for the old days in Cleveland - way back in 2016. But the Lakers center won't be riding that bear into town anytime soon.

Cavs GM David Griffin has needed to be creative in adding to the Cavs' championship roster, given NBA rules and the Cavs salary cap/luxury tax constraints. Bringing in a big man who can make a difference might be his toughest job yet.

My choice is a player seen hugging LeBron James after a recent game in Phoenix:  Tyson Chandler.

The two talked long enough for James to have passed on the names and contact information of a real estate agent and his list of the 25 Best Neighborhoods in Northeast Ohio.

Chandler meets all the requirements to be a fit with a Cavs team chasing consecutive NBA championships.

Can still run the floor and play defense. Is young enough (34), at least by Cavs standards.

Today we discuss the right big-man fit for the Cavs as part of our video debate series, Prepare for List Off.

Cleveland.com sports columnist Doug Lesmerises makes his choice. I don't want to say it's a reach but, well, I'll let him explain it.

Hear us out and come back and tell us you agree with me. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have made certain with a taunting Halloween party that Golden State knows how the rivalry between the teams has gone lately. How will the Warriors react in Monday's final meeting of the regular season?

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Paul Brown was a curmudgeon when it came to NFL players doing interpretative end zone dances in the spirit of Muhammad Ali's two-word poem about himself.

The micro-couplet went:

"Whee!"

"Me!"

"Act like you've been there before," Brown counseled.

52 years

But what if it had been 52 years since you had been at a championship parade downtown?

What if all fans born after 1964 hadn't seen a single Cleveland major professional sports championship until the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 Golden State Warriors lead in the NBA Finals?

That probably excuses fan pranks.

Halloween trolls

But the Cavs themselves held a troll-a-palooza of the Warriors at LeBron James' Halloween party. 

Cookies in the shape of tombstones for the Splash Brothers, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, vied with a skeleton presiding over a sign that read "3-1 Lead." The sign leaked blood, just as the Warriors' arrogance bled out over the last three games of the 2016 NBA Finals.

Let's just say the Chicago Cubs have not treated the Indians that way after the Cubs' rally from the same deficit in the World Series.

Most interesting of all, as bulletin board material for the Warriors, was the dummy labeled Steph Curry that guests had to walk over.

Hey, they started it!

The Cavs' jibes were in response to Curry's comments before Golden State's regular-season romp here last season, wondering if the visiting locker room still reeked of the champagne Golden State's players had sprayed after clinching the NBA championship at The Q.

Cavalier displeasure grew greater the day before the fifth game of the 2016 Finals when Thompson questioned James' manhood. 

The Warriors' Draymond Green was suspended for that game after exceeding the playoff flagrant foul limit in Game 4 when he crotch kicked James. The Cavs' superstar complained about Green's language in their shouting match after the kick. 

Thompson said, "I guess his (James') feelings just got hurt."

A modest and self-effacing role

By the way, my relay at a news conference of Thompson's remarks to James, because of the way it angered James, got me joking votes from some media members for asking the "Question of the Playoffs." (Please. Hold your applause.)

In a similar way, Cleveland.com's Paul Hoynes inspired the Indians' run to the World Series by writing them off.

Unlike Hoynes, as a sunshine and daffodils kind of guy, I try to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. (Not really, but it was fun writing that  sentence.)

The Cavs vs. the Cookie Doughboys

Monday night, the Cavs play Golden State in Oakland, Calif. They have won four straight against the Warriors, dating back to Game 5 of the Finals.

In the last meeting, a 109-108 victory on Christmas Day at The Q, the Cavs' overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit.

The NBA admitted refs blew two calls, both favoring the Cavs, in the final two minutes.

It's hard to summon much sympathy for a bad call or two going against a smug, team-stacking franchise that has only one championship to show for all its arrogance. That came when the Cavs' Big Three was down to the Big 'Bron and Only in the 2015 Finals.

Nevertheless, as Mark Twain said of rumors that he was gravely ill, so I say of notices of the deaths of Curry, Thompson and Kevin Durant: They have been greatly exaggerated.

LeBron James and the Cavs face Stephen Curry and the Warriors for the second-and-final time during the regular season. Watch video

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Cavs (29-10) complete their six-game road trip at 8 p.m. against the NBA's best team and their rival, the Golden State Warriors (34-6)

Last meeting: The Cavs beat the Warriors 109-108 in Cleveland on Christmas.

Cavs fast fact: According to their PR staff, in 17 games against the Warriors since the 2014-15 season (including the last two Finals), LeBron James is averaging 31.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks with 13 double-doubles and three triple-doubles.

Cavs injuries: J.R. Smith (right thumb surgery) and Chris Andersen (torn right ACL) are out.

Warriors fast fact: They're ranked No. 1 in the NBA in scoring (117.5 ppg); shooting (.499), assists (31.2); blocks (6.1) and steals (9.4).

Warriors injuries: None.

Probable starters:

Cavs

F LeBron James (25.8 ppg; 7.8 rpg; 8.3 apg)

F Kevin Love (21.2 ppg; 11.0 rpg; 1.7 apg)

C Tristan Thompson (7.3 ppg; 9.8 rpg; 0.8 apg)

G Iman Shumpert (7.1 ppg; 2.7 rpg; 1.7 apg)

G Kyrie Irving (23.8 ppg; 3.5 rpg; 5.7 apg)

Warriors

F Kevin Durant (26.0 ppg; 8.6 rpg; 4.7 apg)

F Draymond Green (10.7 ppg; 8.6 rpg; 7.7 apg)

C Zaza Pachulia (5.6 ppg; 5.7 rpg; 2.1 apg)

G Klay Thompson (21.3 ppg; 3.7 rpg; 2.0 apg)

G Stephen Curry (24.7 ppg; 4.3 rpg; 5.9 apg)

Cleveland sports fans wonder about the Browns talent evaluation at quarterback and more change on the coaching staff.

Lorain remains ahead of the pack and begins its week Tuesday by welcoming St. Edward into its new gym.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – A rough weekend for many Northeast Ohio teams stirred a shakeup in the cleveland.com boys basketball Top 25.

Lorain (8-1) remains ahead of the pack and begins its week Tuesday by welcoming St. Edward (9-3) into its new gym. The highest riser is Mentor, which bounced back from a five-point loss to Elyria with decisive wins against Shaker Heights and ranked Medina. Elyria also continued its ascension, and so does unbeaten Copley.

St. Ignatius is second despite a 19-point loss to North Canton Hoover, one of Stark County’s powerhouses. The Wildcats moved up to No. 2 thanks to an overtime win against rival St. Edward. They also own a home win against St. Vincent-St. Mary, as signature victories and strength of schedule factor into these rankings.

1. Lorain (8-1)

Last week: Ranked No. 1. Beat Warrensville, 86-65, on Jan. 13.

This week: Tuesday vs. St. Edward, Friday vs. Bedford, Saturday vs. Clearview.

2. St. Ignatius (8-4)

Last week: Ranked No. 3. Beat St. Edward, 90-80 (OT), on Jan. 13. Lost to North Canton Hoover, 77-58, on Jan. 14.

This week: Saturday at Central Catholic.

3. Mentor (8-1)

Last week: Ranked No. 8. Beat Shaker Heights, 73-59, on Jan. 10. Beat Medina, 89-67, on Jan. 13.

This week: Tuesday vs. Eastlake North, Friday vs. Brunswick, Saturday at Massillon Jackson.

4. St. Vincent-St. Mary (7-4)

Last week: Ranked No. 4. Lost to Trotwood-Madison, 100-62, on Jan. 14. Beat Pickerington North, 64-56, on Jan. 15.

This week: Thursday at Ellet, Saturday at Shaker Heights.

5. St. Edward (9-3)

Last week: Ranked No. 5. Lost to St. Ignatius, 90-80 (OT) on Jan. 13.

This week: Tuesday at Lorain, Saturday vs. Toledo St. John’s Jesuit.

6. Garfield Heights (9-3)

Last week: Ranked No. 6. Lost to Upper Arlington, 62-34, on Jan. 15.

This week: Wednesday at Akron Garfield, Friday vs. New Day Academy.

7. Cleveland Heights (7-4)

Last week: Ranked No. 2. Lost to Maple Heights, 84-70, on Jan. 13. Lost to Centerville, 77-66, on Jan. 15.

This week: Wednesday at Lutheran East, Friday vs. Warrensville Heights.

8. Archbishop Hoban (10-1)

Last week: Ranked No. 9. Beat Gilmour, 78-46, on Jan. 11. Beat Lake Catholic, 74-47, on Jan. 13.

This week: Tuesday at Western Reserve Academy, Friday at Padua.

9. Benedictine (8-2)

Last week: Ranked No. 10. Beat Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, 78-56, on Jan. 13.

This week: Monday vs. Toledo Scott, Friday at Lake Catholic, Saturday vs. Revere.

10. Cornerstone Christian (10-3)

Last week: Ranked No. 11. Beat Bedford, 65-49, on Jan. 10. Beat Sugar Creek Garaway, 71-53, on Jan. 14.

This week: Tuesday vs. Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin.

11. Holy Name (12-1)

Last week: Ranked No. 13. Beat Valley Forge, 93-60, on Jan. 10. Beat Normandy, 62-45, on Jan. 13. Beat Mars, 50-49, on Jan. 15.

This week: Friday at Bay.

12. Copley (10-0)

Last week: Ranked No. 16. Beat Nordonia, 98-62, on Jan. 10. Beat Kent Roosevelt, 86-57, on Jan. 13.

This week: Tuesday vs. Stow, Saturday vs. Westlake.

13. Elyria (9-2)

Last week: Ranked No. 19. Beat Medina, 77-76, on Jan. 10. Beat Solon, 83-74, on Jan. 13.

This week: Tuesday at Keystone, Friday vs. Euclid.

14. Medina (10-2)

Last week: Ranked No. 7. Lost to Elyria, 77-76, on Jan. 10. Lost to Mentor, 89-67, on Jan. 13.

This week: Tuesday vs. Highland, Friday vs. Solon.

15. Maple Heights (9-2)

Last week: Ranked No. 18. Beat Cleveland Heights, 84-70, on Jan. 13. Beat Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, 57-50, on Jan. 14.

This week: Tuesday vs. Shaw.

16. Ellet (8-2)

Last week: Ranked No. 14. Lost to Buchtel, 78-65, on Jan. 13.

This week: Tuesday vs. Akron North, Thursday vs. St. Vincent-St. Mary, Saturday at Whitehall-Yearling.

17. Villa Angela-St. Joseph (5-4)

Last week: Ranked No. 12. Lost to Paul VI, 72-59, on Jan. 13. Beat Erie Cathedral Prep, 60-37, on Jan. 14.

This week: Tuesday vs. Youngstown Valley Christian, Friday at Trinity.

18. Solon (9-3)

Last week: Ranked No. 17. Beat Euclid, 63-51, on Jan. 10. Lost to Elyria, 83-74, on Jan. 13. Beat Canton McKinley, 76-63, on Jan. 15.

This week: Tuesday vs. University School, Friday at Medina.

19. Stow (7-2)

Last week: Ranked No. 21. Beat Brecksville, 51-39, on Jan. 13.

This week: Tuesday at Copley, Friday vs. North Royalton, Saturday vs. Buchtel.

20. Brecksville (8-2)

Last week: Ranked No. 15. Lost to Stow, 51-39, on Jan. 13. Beat Padua, 78-61, on Jan. 14.

This week: Tuesday vs. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, Friday vs. Hudson, Saturday at Beachwood.

21. Lutheran East (8-4)

Last week: Ranked No. 22. Beat John Marshall, 104-54, on Jan. 11. Beat Western Reserve Academy, 54-45, on Jan. 13.

This week: Monday at Euclid, Thursday vs. Cleveland Heights, Saturday vs. John Adams.

22. Central Catholic (6-4)

Last week: Ranked No. 23. Beat Trinity, 85-35, on Jan. 13.

This week: Friday vs. Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas, Saturday vs. St. Ignatius.

23. Glenville (11-2)

Last week: Ranked No. 24. Beat Rhodes, 77-41, on Jan. 10. Beat Cleveland JFK, 76-50, on Jan. 13.

This week: Tuesday at Lincoln West, Friday at John Hay.

24. Bay (8-4)

Last week: Ranked No. 20. Lost to Elyria Catholic, 96-88, on Jan. 10. Beat Parma, 91-62, on Jan. 13.

This week: Tuesday at Clearview. Friday vs. Holy Name.

25. Madison (9-0)

Last week: Not ranked. Beat Mayfield, 82-46, on Jan. 13.

This week: Friday vs. Brush, Saturday vs. St. Martin de Porres.

DROPPED OUT

Avon (9-1, was No. 25).

IN CONTENTION

Brush (10-2), Buchtel (8-2), Cleveland MLK (10-3), East Tech (10-3), Woodridge (12-0).

Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com). Or log in and leave a message below in the comments section.

Here's where to watch, listen and stream the Cleveland Cavaliers' game vs. the Golden State Warriors tonight.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers play Game 40 of the 2016 NBA season Monday against the Golden State Warriors. Here's how to watch, listen and stream the action online.

What: Cleveland Cavaliers (29-10) vs. Golden State Warriors (34-6).
Where: Oracle Arena.
When: 8 p.m.
TV: TNT.
Radio: WTAM 1100 AM; 87.7 FM La Mega.
Online: Watch TNT.

Golden State notable: The Warriors have scored at least 100 points in all 21 home games this season, the longest streak in the NBA this season. The Warriors have dished out 30 or more assists 27 times this season and are 26-1 in those games.

Cleveland notable: Going back to the 2016 NBA Finals, the Cavs have won four straight games over the Warriors, including the last two at Oracle Arena. Cleveland is the only undefeated team in the league when tied or leading after three quarters (25-0).

Catch the coverage from before the game; join in the live chat starting at tipoff; and stick around for full postgame coverage. For all Cavs information, be sure to check out cleveland.com/cavs.