CLEVELAND -- What could've been one of the most memorable nights in another dreary season instead became the worst loss in franchise history.

The Miami Heat's 24-game winning streak is still alive. The Cavaliers put up an inspired fight and were rewarded with the biggest blown lead in a loss in team history.

LeBron James had a triple-double, including 14 points in the fourth, and the Heat escaped Quicken Loans Arena with a stunning 98-95 victory over the short-handed Cavs. A game expected to be a blowout instead was a thriller after the Cavs built a 27-point lead in the third quarter before losing.

The Cavs had a chance to tie at the buzzer, but a 3-pointer from C.J. Miles was long off the back of the rim.

James had 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. After the game, he stopped to sign autographs and slap hands with fans lining the tunnel on his way off the court.

The Heat made six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to lead by nine with 3:02 to play, but the Cavs slowly began chipping away. Alonzo Gee's dunk with 1:23 left pulled the Cavs within 96-93 and two Tristan Thompson free throws following a James miss on a 3-pointer made it 96-95 with 44.1 seconds left.

The Cavs had a chance to take the lead, but Wayne Ellington's step-back jumper from just inside the 3-point line was short and the ball went out of bounds after James and Shaun Livingston battled for the rebound. Officials gave possession to the Heat, then went to video replay, which appeared inconclusive. The ball clearly went out on James' hand, but it was difficult to tell if Livingston's fingers were also touching it, so the ruling on the floor stood.

James made two free throws to extend the lead to 98-95, leading to Miles' final miss.

The ending capped a wild night that included a fan running onto the floor and a 35-minute delay at the start of the night because of a sweaty scoreboard.

A fan rushed onto the court with 8:21 left in the game and the Heat charging. He wore a homemade white T-shirt with a scribbled "WE MISS YOU" on the front and "2014 COME BACK" on the back.

Security charged onto the court, but in a strange scene, James shook the fan's hand and patted him on the head before he was escorted off the floor. James, of course, can be a free agent again in 2014.

Despite missing their top three starters, the Cavs built a 27-point lead in the third quarter, matching the Heat's largest deficit of the season.

A three-point play from Tyler Zeller gave the Cavs a 67-40 lead with 7:43 left in the third, but the Heat outscored the Cavs 26-4 during a stretch near the end of the third quarter to pull within 77-68 entering the fourth.

James was sensational in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points within the first 2 1/2 minutes to give the Heat a stunning 80-79 advantage.

A James 3-pointer from the wing tied the game at 77 and James celebrated by glaring into the crowd, heaving his chest and embracing the hate, similar to how he did in his initial return to Cleveland on Dec. 2, 2010.

He followed with another 3-pointer on the Heat's next trip down the floor and the Cavs battled to regain the momentum the rest of the night.

The Cavs ended the first half by outscoring the Heat 23-3 to take a commanding 55-34 lead at the half. The biggest deficit they faced during their winning streak was 17 points Monday against the Boston Celtics, but they rallied to win in the final minutes.

This time, the Cavs extended the lead to 27 points in the third quarter, matching the Heat's largest deficit of the season.

Tristan Thompson had 18 points, but just 8 after the first quarter. Ellington had 20 points and Zeller had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The Cavs loss surpasses the defeat at Phoenix in November when the Cavs led by 26 in the second quarter before falling.

The start of the game was delayed 35 minutes because of condensation dripping off the carbon dioxide canisters within the arena scoreboard.

Workers spotted a leak just before the tip, after both teams had been introduced and were about to take the floor. Workers used towels and mops to clean up the substance, but both teams were sent back to the locker room and the scoreboard had to be lowered for repairs.