LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers might have just stamped themselves as a team to be reckoned with after brutalising the Los Angeles Clippers 105-94 to record their 12th NBA straight win.
The final score belied Cleveland's dominance of the match, with them leading by 32 points at one stage before the Clippers closed the gap against their reserves.
It was a case of the usual suspects firing for the Cavs - Kevin Love lit up the scoreboard with 24 points and nine rebounds, while James had 23 points and nine assists.
Love was happy with the team performance, especially on the defensive end.
"I thought tonight on the defensive end, we did a really good job of stepping it up and taking away the very good offence that they have," Love said.
Conversely, it was a poor night for the Clippers with only Blake Griffin with anything to show for his game - the All Star scoring 16 points and grabbing eight boards.
It was an otherwise dull performance from the Clippers, who struggled without shooting guard JJ Reddick.
Cleveland's streak, the longest in the league right now and the second-longest in franchise history (one behind the 13-game streak in the 2010 campaign) has included some big scalps - the Clippers beaten twice in the run which has also included wins over the Chicago Bulls, Portland Trailblazers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
While the Cavs are surging, so are the Charlotte Hornets who sent the slumping Washington Wizards to their fifth straight loss with a 94-87 victory.
Charlotte are flying and have won 11 of their past 15 games to move into seventh in the East.
In the Western Conference, a Rajon Rondo and Dirk Nowitzki-less Dallas Mavericks wasted little energy in dispatching the Sacramento Kings 101-78.
Guards JJ Barea (15 points and five assists) and Monta Ellis (21 points, six assists) led the way.
In the day's late game, Portland took care of the Phoenix Suns 108-87.
Earlier in the day, Orlando Magic finally lost faith in coach Jacque Vaughn, sacking him after the team's 10th loss in a row.
Assistant James Borrego was named the interim head coach.
Borrego is in his third season with the Magic after two years as an assistant with New Orleans. He was also an assistant with San Antonio from 2003-10 when Vaughn played for the Spurs.
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