LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers claw their way back to record statement win vs. Toronto Raptors

THE Cleveland Cavaliers have issued a timely reminder to the Eastern Conference that they remain the top dog, after a thrilling 132-129 comeback win over the Toronto Raptors.

Coming back from 15 points down, LeBron James and the Cavs flicked a switch in the second half; retaking the lead for the first time with five minutes remaining and the score at 115-114, after last leading 48-46 in the second quarter.

There was very little defence from either side in the first half, with the Raptors taking a 79-64 lead into the break, before Cleveland picked up the intensity, holding Toronto to just 20 points in the third quarter.

Kevin Love proved vital in his second game back from injury, dropping 23 points, including a crucial corner three to give the Cavs a 128-124 lead with 27.5 seconds remaining.

“I told you guys how much I missed him [Love], how much the team missed him. [He’s] somebody I can always rely on because of all the things that we’ve been through,” James said post-game.

“I don’t [know the Cavs’ potential], we’re working our tails off to keep this ship above sea level, and continue to play like we did tonight.”

Meanwhile, Cleveland had surprising contributions from George Hill and Jose Calderon, who put up 22 and 14 points respectively.

It was Toronto’s third game in four nights, and they seemingly ran out of gas. Kyle Lowry led the starters with 24 points, with the Raptors bench starring again; Jakob Poeltl’s 17 points and Fred VanVleet’s 16 spurring the No.1 seed.

Both teams were on fire from beyond the arc, with Toronto going 15-for-33 from three, and Cleveland a ridiculous 15-for-24.

The Cavs improve to 42-29, good enough for the third seed, while Toronto remain atop the Eastern Conference with a 53-19 record.