The Cleveland Cavaliers staved off NBA Finals elimination and ended the Golden State Warriors' shot at an unprecedented perfect run through the playoffs with a 137-116 win on Friday.

Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 40 points as the defending champion Cavaliers pulled to within 3-1 and forced the best-of-seven series back to Oakland.

The Cavaliers, who beat the Warriors in a decisive seventh game last year after trailing 3-1, are now trying to become the first NBA team to rally back from a 3-0 series deficit.

The top-seeded Warriors, who had won their first 15 games of the playoffs, will get another chance to close out the series in front of their home fans on Monday.

Reuters