Cleveland's chances of taking a long overdue championship rest largely upon the shoulders of LeBron James, and he carried the load impressively Tuesday, scoring 40 points to lead the Cavaliers to a 96-91 win against Golden State, and a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

With Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving out injured, James takes on even more responsibility than is standard for one of the all-time greats, and he and city of Cleveland — which has not won a major sports title for 51 years — now stands two wins from the championship.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls came under fire Tuesday for taking a government jet to watch the Champions League final over the weekend in Berlin with his two sons in tow.

The controversy spurred President Francois Hollande to leap to the premier's defense on Monday saying Valls was on an official trip to meet with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

German international midfielder Sami Khedira is to leave Real Madrid for defeated European Cup finalists Juventus, the Italian club announced Tuesday.

The 28-year-old has signed a four-year contract with the Italian champions which expires on June 30, 2019.

Fiorentina has sacked coach Vincenzo Montella "for the good of the club."

Montella, who led Fiorentina to fourth in the Serie A this season, angered club bosses after a perceived lack of commitment to the club.

Dani Alves put an end to speculation about his future when he signed a two-year extension to his deal with recently-crowned European champions Barcelona on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old Brazilian defender's contract was due to expire on June 30, but he came to an agreement with Barca officials for the extension through to 2017, with the option of a third additional season.

The IOC approved new events Monday in snowboarding, Alpine skiing, speedskating and curling for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Big Air in snowboarding, mass start in speedskating, mixed doubles in curling, and a team skiing event were the additions ratified Monday by the International Olympic Committee executive board.

A limited number of Iranian women will be allowed to watch Volleyball World League games in Tehran later this month, a senior government official has told The Associated Press, part of a government move to allow women and families to attend male sporting events.

Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi, part of the Cabinet of moderate President Hassan Rouhani, said the government hopes to avoid a showdown with hard-liners over the issue. However, the issue already has garnered worldwide attention on Iran with the detention of a British-Iranian woman trying to attend a men's match last year.

Aya Miyama scored on a penalty kick in the 29th minute as defending Women's World Cup champion Japan opened with a 1-0 win over newcomer Switzerland in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Monday night.

Miyama's penalty, on a low shot to the left side of the goal, came after Swiss goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann was given a yellow card following a collision with Japan's Kozue Ando inside the box.

Liverpool has agreed a deal to sign Burnley striker Danny Ings in a bid to improve a scoring record that dipped sharply following the departure of Luis Suarez.

The signing of the 22-year-old Ings, subject to a medical examination, comes days after midfielder James Milner agreed to join Liverpool on a free transfer after refusing a new deal at Manchester City.

The final buzzer sounded, and LeBron James wasn't done.

As fans filed out of the quieting arena, James grabbed the ball and spiked it with all his might. He flexed his arms and pounded his chest, letting out a roar that echoed from California to Cleveland.