CLEVELAND -- With one flex of his muscles and one slap of his biceps, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James reminded the NBA of his raw power. Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood was among those who won't soon forget.
James scored 31 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers survived a 118-114 victory against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday on the strength of their best player.
The Cavaliers trailed by as many as nine in the fourth, but James stole a pass and dribbled the length of the floor for an impressive three-point play on which he turned the Jazz guard into a Hood ornament.
Hood did his best to wrap up James and prevent the shot, but James powered through for the basket and foul. He looked at Hood and slapped his biceps as the sellout crowd roared.
"Bron is the greatest player in the game. I don't think there's anyone with a higher basketball IQ or a better understanding of the moment," Cavs coach David Blatt said. "I think he just understood the moment. He took over the game and lifted the rest of the guys with him. He did the things that a great player like him, only him, can do."
James' three-point play pulled the Cavs within 95-94 but gave them all the momentum. It revived a slumbering team that remained unbeaten at home (5-0) with its seventh consecutive victory. However, Cleveland (7-1) had to work for it on a night it was sloppy with the ball (17 turnovers) and off rhythm most of the night.
"The win is the only thing that's important to me," James said. "We had some good points, we had some bad points, but we stuck with it."
James added eight assists and seven rebounds, while guard Mo Williams recorded 29 points, six rebounds and six assists. He made his first eight shots and didn't miss until 1:37 remained in the game. Forward Kevin Love had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers.
Guard Alec Burks scored 24 points off the bench for the Jazz (4-3), while forwards Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors each scored 17 points. Center Rudy Gobert had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Hood fouled out with 16 points.
"They're a veteran team that knows how to close out games and how to win basketball games," Hayward said. "That's something that we can learn from."
The Jazz trailed most of the night until late in the third quarter. They extended their lead to 95-86 on a dunk by Gobert with 7:22 left before James and the Cavs began to roll.
Hood responded to James' power play by stroking a 3-pointer at the other end, but it was the only basket the Jazz scored for nearly five minutes in the fourth quarter. The drought allowed the Cavaliers to regain the lead.
"You can see why they're as good as they are," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said of the Cavs. "I was happy with the way we hung in there ... we didn't get rattled. Our guys need to feel good about how hard we played, and we need to figure out how to win some of these, too."
Both teams survived injury scares. Love went up and landed awkwardly on a layup attempt, but he was able to remain in the game. Gobert twisted his left ankle late in the game and had to leave temporarily before returning. X-rays taken at the arena were negative.
Love made a pair of 3-pointers to join Hall of Famer Larry Bird as the only players in NBA history to make at least 600 3-pointers while averaging at least 10 rebounds.
Bird ended his career with 649 3-pointers while averaging 10 rebounds. Love is averaging 11.8 rebounds for his career.
"It's good company," Love said. "I think that's the way the game has gone. I grew up watching guys at the 4 position and 5 position who shot the ball from the outside. It's definitely good company."
Cleveland was the first stop on Utah's four-game swing through the East.
NOTES: Jazz coach Quin Snyder spent the 2012-13 season coaching Cavaliers C Sasha Kaun as an assistant with CSKA Moscow. ... The Jazz have the league's fourth-youngest roster, which is why Snyder laughed when asked if the Cavaliers serve as a measuring stick. "We're too young to even have a measuring stick," he said. "We're still in the phase where you measure yourself against a wall in your house, then mark it down." ... Cavaliers G J.R. Smith returned to the starting lineup after missing three games with a bruised knee and quadriceps tendinitis, and he scored seven points. Smith still can't pinpoint when he injured the knee and believes it was just wear and tear over time. ... Cavaliers coach David Blatt said G Matthew Dellavedova has been battling knee and ankle issues this season. Dellavedova scored nine points Tuesday.
