CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue acknowledged Cleveland's first play call every game is a touch for Kevin Love in the post. After Wednesday, Love might start getting the second, third and fourth touches of every game, too.

Love scored 34 points in the first quarter, the second-most points in a quarter in NBA history, in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 137-125 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Love made eight 3-pointers in the quarter, setting franchise records for points in a quarter and 3s in a quarter, and finished with a season-high 40 points.

It was his first 40-point game as a Cavalier after making his first seven shots, including six 3-pointers. LeBron James had 31 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for his 44th career-triple double.

Love's first-quarter outburst trails only the 37 points scored by the Warriors' Klay Thompson in the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings two seasons ago. It allowed the Cavs to set the NBA record for most 3-pointers in a half (16) and tie franchise records for points in a quarter (46) and 3-pointers in a regular-season game (21).

Despite the hot start, Love didn't realize he was on the verge of NBA history. He could've matched Thompson's record, but his open look at a 3-pointer with 1:15 left clanked off the rim. He was 8 of 10 from 3 in the first quarter and 11 of 14 overall in the quarter.

"I had a good rhythm, made my first couple shots," Love said. "And it was on from there."

Damian Lillard had 40 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for the Trail Blazers but was overshadowed by Love's finest performance since arriving in Cleveland three years ago.

"I kept trying to go to him. I wanted him to continue to touch it," Lue said. "I thought we did a good job trying to find him. I knew the record was 37. We kept looking for Kevin and he kept making shots, but we weren't able to get him to 37."

James held the previous team mark for points in a quarter with 24, which he set on three different occasions. Love had surpassed his season high of 27 points about eight minutes into the game, although he still fell shy of his career high of 51.

James noticed Love was in a zone after his fourth consecutive 3-pointer, which put the Cavs ahead 20-9 less than four minutes into the game. James noticed Love wasn't hesitating on his shots and kept going back. He assisted on seven of Love's eight 3-pointers in the first quarter.

"I've always loved seeing my teammates catch one of those moments right there and just try to keep him in that zone as much as possible," James said. "I went over and told him, 'Whatever you're doing, wherever you're at right now, just stay right there. Stay even keel. Whatever you're thinking about right there, just stay there because we're going to keep coming to you.'"

Wednesday marked the Cavs' first game in five days, although they showed no rust despite the long layoff. They made their first nine shots as a team and never trailed. They led by double digits 3 1/2 minutes into the game, thanks to Love, and the Blazers never threatened despite Lillard's best effort.

Twenty-five of Lillard's 40 came in the second half.

The Blazers mixed up their defensive coverages throughout the first quarter and threw at least three different defenders at Love. It didn't matter. He made open shots, and he made contested shots over bigs and guards.

"Love hit everything he threw up. He hit some with a hand in his face, too," Blazers center Mason Plumlee said. "He was just hot. It was an amazing shooting performance."

Blazers coach Terry Stotts said James' ability to penetrate and Irving's ability to break down defenders one-on-one complicates how teams can defend the Cavs. The Blazers made the choice to help on James, which left Love open for numerous 3-pointers on the weak side.

"We knew tonight was going to be tough, and obviously, that was a phenomenal first quarter," Stotts said. "That was as impressive of a performance as I've seen. I tip my hat to a team that can shoot like that."

Plumlee scored 19 points and Evan Turner had 17 points off the bench for the Blazers, who fell below .500 (8-9) for the second time this season despite carrying the league's second-highest payroll. They went just 1-4 on their East Coast trip.

NOTES: The digital media company Dose made a musical based on Cavs F LeBron James' life and set to the title song of the Broadway hit "Hamilton." James watched the five-minute video, released Monday, and loved it. "It's great. It's unbelievable, actually," James said. "It was basically the whole journey, up until this point. Obviously they've done their homework and they were pretty much spot on." ... Ohio State players have been given a version of James' basketball shoe to wear Saturday in its college football rivalry game against Michigan. "It's been something that's been in the works for years now," James said. "We finally was able to put together a shoe and work with the Nike football lab to put a cleat on there. It's always a hard process when you turn a basketball shoe into a cleat." ... James sat for nine hours Tuesday giving his deposition in Billy Hunter's wrongful termination lawsuit as executive director of the players' union. ... Portland coach Terry Stotts began the night with 190 victories, tying him for fourth with Mike Dunleavy Sr. on the Blazers' career list. ... Blazers G C.J. McCollum grew up in nearby Canton, Ohio, and attended GlenOak High School.