The Cleveland Cavaliers remained at the summit of the Western Conference, but were made to work for their win over the Charlotte Hornets.

The Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson conceded that his side were made to work for their dramatic victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points to lead the Cavs, who were nine points down in the final six minutes, to their 13th straight victory, a 118-117 triumph over the Hornets.

Cleveland led 87-83 after three quarters, but Charlotte rallied with a 21-8 run for a 104-95 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the contest.

The Cavaliers responded by outscoring the Hornets 25-15 to end the game, ensuring they remained at the summit of the Eastern Conference.

Darius Garland added 20 points to help the Cavaliers improve to 53-10. Evan Mobley scored 19 points, De'Andre Hunter had 15, and Jarrett Allen contributed 14 in their victory.

"Thirteen in a row, yes, we're in a good groove," Atkinson said. "We had to scratch and claw these last couple of games, which is great for playoff prep.

"When our energy is high it's really tough to beat us."

The Cavaliers have 13 straight wins and have scored 110-plus points in each game. That is tied for the second-longest streak in NBA history, trailing only the Boston Celtics from 1986, who had 14 consecutive victories.

Cleveland now have three winning streaks of 12 or more games this season, the first time that has happened since the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks.

The Cavs were also 43 of 51 on free throws, their most attempts in a game since 2007. And Mitchell, who accounted for six of the eight misses, converted nine straight before missing his last two to finish 12 of 18 overall.