LeBron James has paid tribute to Andre Iguodala after the Cleveland Cavaliers slipped to a 103-82 loss to the Golden State Warriors in game four of the NBA Finals.

Iguodala scored a season-high 22 points after being drafted into the starting lineup to help the Warriors level the series at 2-2, and James was unable to hide his admiration for the All-Star forward, who guarded the four-time MVP for most of the night.

"He's one of the X factors, and he came to play," James told reporters. "He shot the ball extremely well. He hit four threes. He was in attack.

"He got a couple dunks in transition early on in the game, which got him going, and he was really good for them."

Game five takes place in Oakland on Sunday.