It may have taken a bit longer than the typical short fuse of fans, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are steadily looking more and more like the championship contenders people envisioned them to be once LeBron James "came home" and Kevin Love followed suit.

James scored 23 points, including an array of highlight reel dunks, while Kevin Love had a good bounce back game with 24 points as the Cavs continued to stretch their winning streak to 12 beating the Los Angeles Clippers 105-94, in a game that wasn't as close as the final score suggests.

After his five-point struggle, shooting 1-7, while not taking a shot in the last three quarters of their last game, Love came out aggressively, doubling his previous production in the game's first three minutes.

"I got tired of everybody talking about Kevin Love. There's nothing wrong with Kevin Love," Cavs coach David Blatt said after the star forward's individual struggles were highlighted by the media.

The Cavs are now in the midst of their longest winning streak since they cruised to a franchise-best 13-game win streak back in 2010.

The win against the Clippers now puts Cleveland ahead of the Chicago Bulls at the top of the Central Division, and puts them at third in the Eastern Conference. Back when the streak began last January 15, the Cavs were seven games behind the Bulls in the Central Division.

James made headlines recently after saying he would come off the bench if it would help the team continue with its success.

"It's about a team and how we all fit together, how the five guys on the court fit together, how the eight or 10 guys on the bench all help the guys that are on the floor and so on and so on," James said after Wednesday's practice when the narrative was centered on Love's individual struggles despite the Cavs win streak.

"So, sacrifice is the biggest word in team sports, but it's not about saying it. It's about doing it, as well. It's about living it," he said.