CLEVELAND _ Despite a close race for seedings among the last six playoff qualifiers in the Eastern Conference, LeBron James wasn't concerned about a crucial back-to-back that began with Thursday night's game with the Washington Wizards.
"We already clinched," James said Thursday morning. "We want to continue to play good ball, which we've been doing as of late. But we already clinched, so we know we have a chance to compete for a championship. That's all you can ask for."
Perhaps some of that attitude seeped into the Cavaliers' minds a few hours later.
The Cavs built a 15-point second-quarter lead, only to see the Wizards pull ahead by 10 in the third quarter and extend it to 17 in the fourth.
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue's return from a nine-game leave of absence to address health issues didn't go as planned, but the erratic Cavs pulled off a 119-115 victory at Quicken Loans Arena.
It took a Herculean effort in the final 7:35, but rookie Cedi Osman intercepted a John Wall pass with 8.8 seconds left and hit two free throws with 2.5 seconds to go to seal the triumph.
Turnovers nearly spelled the Cavs' doom with 16 miscues, six of them by James, leading to 26 Wizards points. The Cavs were also outrebounded 41-35 and outscored 14-5 on second-chance points.
The Cavs (49-30) grabbed third place in the East, a half-game ahead of the 76ers (48-30). The two meet Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
The Cavs extended their home winning streak to eight games and finished the homestand 4-0. They had gone 8-1 with associate head coach Larry Drew filling in for Lue, and are now 10-1 in their last 11 games.
The Wizards have lost seven of their last nine and have fallen to seventh in the East.
Down 104-87 with 7:35 to go, the Cavs began their comeback. But the Wizards still led 110-100 on a layup by Markieff Morris with 3:30 remaining.
Using a 10-0 run, with James scoring or assisting on eight of those points, the Cavs tied it at 110 on two free throws by Rodney Hood with 1:50 left. It remained nip and tuck, with Jeff Green's two free throws putting the Cavs up 116-115 with 21.4 seconds to go.
The Wizards held the ball until 8.8 seconds remained and Wall missed, with James grabbing the rebound. Marcin Gortat fouled James, who made just the second free throw for a two-point margin. But Osman intercepted Wall's pass intended for Morris with 2.5 seconds to go
While Wall came up with two early steals off James, most of the Cavs' turnovers were of the unforced variety. The Wizards totaled 15 turnovers that led to 23 points, but the Cavs' errors seemed more indicative of their lackadaisical play.
James finished with 33 points, nine rebounds and 14 assists, tying Kareem-Abdul Jabbar (429) for the fifth-most 30-point games in league history.
Green added 21 points, Kevin Love 16 points and six rebounds and Kyle Korver 13 points.
The Cavs were without their top two point guards _ George Hill (left ankle sprain) and Jose Calderon (sore left hamstring). With defensive matchups in mind, Lue elected to start Osman, which meant plenty of opportunities for James to handle the ball.
The Cavs made 62 percent from the field, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range, and handed out 10 assists on 13 field goals in jumping out to a 39-26 first-quarter lead. Love found his stroke from long range, making 3 of 4 attempts, and Korver added eight quick points in the final 3:14, hitting both of his tries from deep.
The Wizards cut the lead to 59-54 at halftime as the Cavs cooled off, making 41 percent from the field.
In the second half, the Wizards looked more like the formidable playoff foe Cavs fans wanted no part of a year ago. Wall scored 10 points and Bradley Beal, Gortat and Otto Porter Jr. chipped in six each as the Wizards went on an 11-0 run to pull ahead 82-76. The Cavs, meanwhile, got two 3-pointers from Osman, but it didn't provide the expected spark.
Wall returned March 31 after undergoing left knee surgery and the five-time All-Star played for just the third time since Jan. 25. He finished with 24 points, 14 assists and four rebounds.
