TORONTO — LeBron James' triple-double wasn't enough to put the Cleveland Cavaliers into the playoffs.
James had 27 points, 14 assists and 14 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers to a 104-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, but the New Jersey Nets defeated Boston to capture the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland and New Jersey finished with the same record, 42-40, but the Cavaliers didn't have the tiebreaker because the Nets won the season series.
James did what he could, and by halftime was only one rebound short of a triple-double as Cleveland led by 15. The 20-year-old recorded his fourth triple-double of the season by grabbing a rebound just 23 seconds into the second half, and the Cavaliers began the half with a 16-2 run that included two 3-pointers by James.
His driving layup gave Cleveland a 29-point lead — its biggest of the game — with 5:12 left.
James said before the game that he would be checking out the scoreboard.
"You're going to have to see what the updates are during the game and just keep your head up for it," said James, who dropped his head when the final buzzer sounded to his game.
Cleveland went 4-7 down the stretch, spoiling what many considered to be a breakthrough season for James after he earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2003-04.
Toronto fans were rooting for Cleveland to make the playoffs. One fan had a sign that read: "LeBron make Vince golf this season!" in reference to Vince Carter, who is reviled in Toronto because he demanded a trade and acknowledged he didn't give it his all with the Raptors.
Fans cheered when the videoboard showed an injured Carter going to the locker room during the New Jersey-Boston game. They also cheered when they showed footage of Carter missing a layup.
Last time in Toronto, James' 56-point effort was wasted. Point guard Jeff McInnis didn't play in that game, a benching that helped lead to coach Paul Silas' firing by new owner Dan Gilbert the next day.
McInnis did not accompany the team to Toronto this time.
On Tuesday, McInnis started against Boston but didn't score in six minutes before being replaced by Eric Snow. McInnis didn't rejoin his teammates on the bench for the second half until midway through the third quarter, and when he was there, he remained in his seat with a towel wrapped around his head.
The Cavs said he had a "viral syndrome," but didn't give any other specifics. McInnis said his stomach hurt while declining interviews after Cleveland's 100-86 win over the Celtics.
Jalen Rose had 25 points for the lottery-bound Raptors, who finished 33-49 — one less win than last season.