LeBron James started Friday night by making history and finished with a scoring flurry as he led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 107-102 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Quicken Loans Arena. 

James tallied 27 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds and helped the defending Eastern Conference champions maintain a grip on the No. 3 seed in the process. 

Had Cleveland (46-30) lost, it would have dropped to the fifth seed since the Philadelphia 76ers (45-30) beat the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and the Indiana Pacers (45-31) own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cavs. 

Thanks to James, that scenario didn't unfold. 

LeBron scored eight straight points down the stretch to give the Cavs breathing room, and in doing so tied Kobe Bryant for the third-most 20-point games (941) in NBA history. 

And that's not all. 

James stormed out of the gates with 11 first-quarter points to register double figures for an NBA-record 867th straight game, breaking Michael Jordan's previous mark of 866. 

After James knifed through New Orleans' defense and threw down a two-handed dunk to cross the double-digit threshold, the Cavaliers stopped the game and allowed him to revel in his accomplishment: 

"I can't even tell you how I've been able to do it," James said Wednesday after tying the record, according to NBA.com. "It's not like I go into every game saying, 'OK, I've got to get 10 points.' It's just kind of organic. It happens, and anytime I'm mentioned with some of the greats, and arguably the greatest basketball player of all time in Mike, it's just another feat for me to be appreciative and humbled by what I've been able to do."

James was joined in double figures by Jordan Clarkson (23 points) and Rodney Hood (16). Tristan Thompson didn't reside in that club since he managed four points, but he played an instrumental role in erasing a 10-point halftime deficit with 14 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass. 

Plus, Thompson aided in the Cavaliers' quality defensive effort against Anthony Davis. 

Along with Larry Nance Jr., Thompson helped stifle The Brow as the MVP candidate managed 16 points on 19 shots. He finished minus-20 overall in the plus-minus column, which was the worst mark among all Pelicans players who saw the floor. 

Friday also marked Kevin Love's return from a one-game absence because of a concussion. However, the stretch 4 failed to find a rhythm and finished with eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, including 0-of-6 from three. 

Love will look to get back on track Sunday when the Cavaliers host the Dallas Mavericks in pursuit of their third straight win. 

The Pelicans, who have lost three in a row, will also be back in action Sunday for a showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder that will have serious seeding implications.