CLEVELAND _ On Saturday morning, LeBron James said he wants to prove that players his age are deserving of a $200- or $300-million contract.
Hours later and two weeks shy of his 33rd birthday, James backed up those words with another MVP-caliber performance.
James recorded his second consecutive triple-double and third in a span of four games in a 109-100 victory over the Utah Jazz at Quicken Loans Arena.
It marked James' fifth triple-double of the season and 60th of his career, breaking his tie with Larry Bird and moving James into fifth on the all-time list.
James scored or assisted on the Cavs' first 13 points and finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in 37 minutes. He hit 9 of 15 field goals and all 10 of his free-throw attempts.
Wrapping up a four-game homestand, the Cavs improved to 17-1 since Nov. 11 and won their 11th consecutive game at home. It also marked their sixth consecutive victory over the Jazz at the Q.
Kevin Love added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Cavs (22-8), and Kyle Korver pitched in 12 points and Jeff Green 11.
Rookie Cedi Osman scored a season-high 10 points, five in the fourth quarter. He also came through with a crucial steal against Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell with 59 seconds left and the Cavs leading by six. James converted two free throws on the other end to push the lead to 108-100 with 37.3 seconds left.
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue picked up his 100th regular-season victory. Since being promoted on Jan. 22, 2016, Lue is 100-53 in the regular season, 29-10 in the playoffs and has guided the Cavs to an NBA championship and two consecutive Finals appearances.
For a time, the Cavs struggled shooting from beyond the arc, hitting 4 of 11 in the first half and 7 of 17 through three quarters. But the Cavs extended their franchise record to 19 consecutive games with at least 10 3-pointers made. They finished 10 of 22 from long range.
Cavs center Tristan Thompson returned for the Cavs after being a late scratch Thursday, making his second appearance since he missed 19 games with a left calf injury. Thompson scored four points, one a slam dunk, on rolls to the rim and added two rebounds in seven minutes. Lue said before the game Thompson would not play in the second half.
Dwyane Wade started slowly for the second consecutive game, going 1 for 6 from the field in the first half with most of his misses on layups, and finished shooting 3 of 11. He's hit 6 of 20 field goals in the past two games. Wade did add 6-foot-10 Jonas Jerebko to his list _ headlined by Giannis Antetokounmpo _ of big men whose shots he's blocked this season.
Mitchell, who led NBA rookies in 3-pointers with 68 coming in, finished with 26 points (including three more 3s) to lead Utah. He has scored 20-plus in seven of the last nine games.
The Jazz were without center Rudy Gobert, who sprained the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Friday's victory at Boston, and forward Derrick Favors, who suffered an eye laceration against the Celtics. Ekpe Udoh replaced Gobert, and Joe Johnson took over for Favors.
Lue cautioned that the Jazz would play hard even without Gobert.
"He's a rim protector, he alters a lot of shots and blocks a lot of shots," Lue said. "The biggest thing for them offensively is he's a dynamic roller, which puts a lot of pressure on your defense to pull in, then skip it across the floor and they've got 3-point shooters.
"I think they'll miss that tonight, but then also, playing small they're faster, they've got a lot of guys that can attack the basket. They will be a different look team, but they're still tough either way."
The Jazz stayed competitive by hitting 17 of 34 from 3-point range.
