LeBron James secures 40th triple-double in Cleveland Cavaliers’ blowout victory

LeBron James came close to the 40th triple-double of his career several times this season.

The four-time most valuable player got there in three quarters Monday night.

James scored 21 points to go with 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first triple-double of the season, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 120-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Cleveland.

James pulled down his final rebound late in the third quarter, resulting in a loud cheer from the sellout crowd. He sat out the fourth quarter thanks to the big lead.

“I didn’t know until I sat down on the bench and I looked up at the scoreboard,” he said. “Get over the hump, finally. To do it in three quarters was even more impressive. It allowed me to get some rest.”

Teammate Kyrie Irving matched his season high with 32 points, making 13 of 21 shots, and tied his career high with 12 assists. J.R. Smith made six three-point shots and scored 22 points.

at Brooklyn 105, Denver 104: Joe Johnson’s three-point shot at the buzzer gave the Nets the victory. Thaddeus Young scored 20 points to lead the Nets and Markel Brown scored a career-high 19.

Toronto 103, at Detroit 89: Kyle Lowry scored 25 points and the Raptors used an 11-2 run at the start of the fourth quarter to pull away for their 14th victory in 15 games.

Oklahoma City 122, at Phoenix 106: Kevin Durant scored 25 of his 32 points in the second half and the Thunder pulled away in the final four minutes to hand the Suns their eighth consecutive loss and 23rd in 25 games.

Portland 112, at Memphis 106 (OT): Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 33 points and teammate C.J. McCollum scored six of his 21 points in overtime. The score was tied at 102-102 at the end of regulation after Allen Crabbe was credited with a tip-in for the Trail Blazers as the horn sounded -- a shot actually tipped in by the Grizzlies’ Jeff Green.

Orlando 117, at Atlanta 110 (OT): Nikola Vucevic scored 25 of his 28 points after halftime and the Magic overcame a 20-point deficit to defeat the Hawks for the second night in a row.

at Charlotte 108, Chicago 91: Kemba Walker scored 30 points to lead the Hornets, who never trailed in reaching the .500 mark for the first time since Jan. 4.

New Orleans 116, at Minnesota 102: Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday each scored 27 points to help the Pelicans end a four-game losing streak.