James sparks Cavs' rout of Magic
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James continued his career year for triple-doubles and helped put the Cleveland Cavaliers back in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 122-102 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
Cleveland (50-27) is tied for first with the Celtics (50-27), and the two teams play Wednesday in Boston.
James registered 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in 37 minutes for his 12th triple-double this season and 54th of his career during the regular season. He also had a triple-double (with 41 points) Sunday.
Kevin Love led the Cavs with 28 points to go with 11 boards. Kyrie Irving added 24 points, and J.R. Smith produced 19 points. Smith and Love nailed five 3-pointers apiece, and Kyle Korver, playing for the first time in four games after recovering from a sore left foot, added three 3-pointers and scored 11 off the bench.
The Cavs drained 18 3-pointers as a team and became the third squad in NBA history to make 1,000 3-pointers in a season.
Orlando (27-51) was led by 21 points from Evan Fournier. The Magic led 55-53 at halftime before the Cavs blew the doors off with nine 3-pointers and a 23-point swing in the third quarter.
The Magic have lost five straight and six of seven.
Cleveland was coming off a 135-130 double overtime win over Indiana on Sunday. James played significant minutes Tuesday while Irving and Smith each played extensively, but coach Tyronn Lue said the plan was to play everyone against Boston.
If the Cavs win Wednesday, they would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Celtics, which mean they essentially would hold a two-game lead.
NOTES: Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett sat next to Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and cheered for Cleveland. ... The Cavs have now defeated the Magic 17 consecutive times, the longest active winning streak for one team over another in the NBA. ... Cavs F LeBron James has now scored at least 10 points in 788 straight games and passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the second-longest such streak in league history. Only Michael Jordan (866 games) scored at least 10 in more consecutive games. ... Cavs G Kyle Korver missed 11 games total with his sore left foot. ... The Magic play three of their final four games at home. Two are against Chicago and Indiana. Both clubs are fighting for a playoff spot, so Orlando can play spoiler. ... Magic G/F Patricio Garino and G/F Marcus Georges-Hunt were played four scoreless minutes Tuesday after signing contracts with Orlando on Monday. Both players spent most of this season in the D-League.