James recorded his 45th double-double of the season and 427th career 30-point game as Cleveland won its fifth straight. He shot 14 of 19 from the field and scored seven points in the fourth when the Cavaliers outscored the Nets 34-25.
James also surpassed 2,000 points for the 10th time in his career but the first time since 2013-14 when he was the Miami Heat. He joined Karl Malone and Michael Jordan as the third player with 10 seasons of at least 2,000 points.
Kevin Love added 20 points and 15 rebounds for his 29th double-double of the season as Cleveland shot 50.6 percent (44 of 87) and made 42.9 percent (12 of 28) from 3-point range.
Jordan Clarkson added 18, George Hill chipped in 17 and Rodney Hood contributed 16 as Cleveland beat the Nets for the 13th time in the last 16 meetings.
Joe Harris scored a career-high 30 points, but the Nets lost for the 14th time when holding a lead or being tied going into the fourth. DeMarre Carroll added 18 as the Nets lost their third straight.
James totaled 22 points by halftime, but the Nets capped the first half with a 10-5 run and held a 62-60 lead after James connected with Hill for a corner 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
The Nets took a 78-69 lead on a 3-pointer by Allen Crabbe with 7:04 remaining in the third. Cleveland countered by scoring the next 10 points to make it a one-point game on a hoop by Hill with 4:29 left. Cleveland was unable to regain the lead and the Nets held an 89-87 advantage going into the fourth.
James returned with 6:17 remaining with the Nets up 100-99 and following a Hill layup, he threw down a two-handed dunk for a 103-100 lead with 5:40 left. A little over a minute later Hill and James connected for another dunk to push Cleveland's lead to 107-100.
After a Harris 3-pointer made it 111-105, Hood hit a 3-pointer for a nine-point lead with 2:37 left. A layup by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made it 116-111 with 61 seconds left but James hit a long 3-pointer from the right side over Carroll with 39.7 seconds left for a 119-111 edge.
--Field Level Media
Cleveland | Brooklyn | |
LeBron James 37 | Scoring | Joe Harris 30 |
LeBron James 8 | Assists | Caris LeVert 7 |
Kevin Love 15 | Rebounds | Joe Harris 7 |
LeBron James 8 | Free Throws Made | DeMarre Carroll 6 |
George Hill 2 | Steals | DeMarre Carroll 2 |
George Hill 1 | Blocks | Jarrett Allen 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Cleveland | 121 | 50.6 | 12-28 | 21-26 | 25 | 49 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
Brooklyn | 114 | 45.8 | 17-37 | 21-26 | 27 | 38 | 3 | 7 | 10 |