James’ 24-point quarter bails out the Cavaliers

TORONTO -- For three quarters he was ordinary. Then, when it mattered most, LeBron James was unstoppable.

James scored 39 points, including 24 in the fourth, to help the Cleveland Cavaliers rally for a 93-90 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

“In the fourth quarter, he was amazing,” Cleveland Coach Mike Brown said. “He just took the game over and put us on his back. What a tremendous, tremendous performance.”

That performance helped Cleveland overcome a season-low 33 first-half points.

James, who made eight of 10 shots in the fourth, said tuning out distractions helped his concentration.

“I just felt like I was out there by myself,” he said. “Everything was going right for me and I just felt like I was out there in practice. The hoop felt like the ocean.”

Forward Drew Gooden has seen James take over before, but said this one was special.

“This was impressive because of the circumstances,” Gooden said. “We were down 20 on the road and we could have easily given in. He was attacking the basket and knocking down outside shots.”

With the Cavaliers trailing, 70-57, to begin the fourth, James scored on a layup, a free throw and back-to-back three-point baskets in the first three minutes. Damon Jones added two three-pointers before James tied it at 76-76 with a jump shot at 6:26.

The Cavaliers have won five of six to level their record at 17-17, returning to .500 for the first time since they were 9-9 on Dec. 2.

Chris Bosh had 23 points for the Raptors, who have lost six of their last eight games.