LeBron scores 34 in Cavaliers' win over Thunder

In a battle of MVP's, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers emerged victorious over Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

James scored 34 points, seven rebounds and five assists to pace the Cavaliers to a 108-98 point victory.

The game featured an exciting back and forth affair between two championship contending squads at full health. James sat out their last matchup in Oklahoma City which saw the Thunder pull away in the fourth quarter for a 103-94 victory.

With James in the lineup, the Cavaliers looked sharp on both ends of the floor. James and Kyrie Irving consistently presented problems playing off high pick-and-roll sets. 

The Thunder struggled with containing dribble penetration which necessitated multiple rotations from help defenders. That afforded the Cavaliers' perimeter shooters a wealth of open looks. The Cavaliers connected on 44.4 percent (16-of-36) of their attempts from beyond.

As is their wont, Oklahoma City played through Durant and Russell Westbrook. Durant was dominant, scoring 32 points, collecting six rebounds and racking up nine assists, but Westbrook struggled to find his shot. Westbrook scored 22 points on 7-of-26 shooting, but contributed elsewhere, chipping in with nine rebounds and 11 assists.

The Cavaliers' role players came up huge in the win. Tristan Thompson logged an excellent 31 minutes off the bench, securing a double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds along with three blocks. Thompson finished as a game-high +22. J.R. Smith also chipped in with 14 points while Iman Shumpert played some inspired defense to spur a fourth quarter run.

Ultimately, it was the Cavaliers' big-three of James, Irving and Kevin Love that outplayed their counterparts in Durant, Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, which proved to be the difference.

The win stretches Cleveland's winning streak to six games, while the Thunder drop back to .500 at 22-22.