CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Through three quarters against the Sacramento Kings, sharpshooter Kyle Korver looked lethargic -- just like the rest of his teammates.

Head coach Tyronn Lue couldn't pinpoint exactly why. But he could certainly sense it. So during the mandatory timeout, prior to the start of the fourth quarter, Lue decided it was time to unlock Korver, especially with LeBron James set to rest at the start of the period.

"I told the coaches, I said, 'We need something from Korver,'" Lue admitted following the 101-95 win. "So out of timeouts we kept drawing up two plays at a time just so we could get him going."

What followed was a trio of 3-pointers, as Korver scored the first nine points of the period, pulling the Cavs out of their funk and pushing them into the lead for the first time since the 5:52 mark of the second quarter. It resembled Korver's fourth-quarter flurry against the New York Knicks -- the second win during this 13-game streak.

"Listen, you're going to have games like that in an 82-game season where it just feels like you're in a rut and can't get out of it and then a guy like Kyle who is never standing still can help you guys get out of it and help us get out of it, which he did," James said. "Bang, bang, bang to start that fourth quarter, it got everybody going."

Prior to those bombs, Korver had just five points on 2-of-5 from the field and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc. The Cavs had entered the fourth quarter trailing by five.

"I had good looks in the first half, too. Missed one. Had one blocked. We had some good actions going," Korver said. "What always happens? You make one and the number gets called again and guys set a little better screens. The ball seems to find you, so, I tried to stay aggressive and was able to hit."

Korver's presence alone turns the Cavs from a good offense to a great one. According to basketball-reference.com, Korver makes a positive difference of 20.2 points per 100 possessions when combining his impact on both offense and defense.

On Wednesday, after making his 3's to start the quarter, the defense was forced to pay more attention to him. That allowed Lue to use Korver in other actions -- even sometimes as a decoy.

On the very next possession following his third triple, Korver jitterbugged in the lane before darting to the top of the key while being watched by two Kings defenders.

As that was happening, Jeff Green sprinted toward the basket for an alley-oop from Dwyane Wade. Vince Carter could only watch.

Moments later, Korver ran off a Channing Frye screen on the left wing. Met by two defenders, neither of which wanted to give him a free look at another 3-pointer, Korver dumped the ball to a cutting Frye for a soaring layup.

Yes, on a sloppy night when offense wasn't coming easy for the Cavaliers, Korver was at the center of the first 13 points of the fourth quarter.

But the Kings kept fighting back. Tied at 91, Korver's off-ball movement led to another Green basket. This time, Korver, being guarded by De'Aaron Fox on the baseline, set a rip screen on George Hill, who was guarding Green. Fox stayed attached to Korver for a beat too long, giving Green a path to the basket while James bounced a whiparound pass for the layup and a two-point lead.

Even James high-arching floater with under two minutes remaining and the clock winding down happened in part because Korver was waiting in the short corner -- just in case the Kings loaded up on James' drive.

Sometimes it's Korver bombing 3's. Other times, it's the subtleties he adds to Cleveland's potent offense.

During the Cavs' 13-game winning streak, Korver has a team-best plus-minus of plus-152. The next closest is Dwyane Wade, the leader of Cleveland's "special" second unit, with a plus-121. Then comes James, who is plus-109.

Korver is also the team's second-leading scorer in crunch time, averaging 5.4 points while shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc. Overall, the Cavs are averaging 23.3 fourth-quarter points with Korver on the court during this winning streak, which began in early November. That's a higher mark than James.

"That bench unit is special and when you can have guys like Jeff that can go off for 20, and Kyle go off for 20 and myself, that makes us special," Wade said. "It makes us a tough team. You don't have to do it every night. That guy (James) over there, yeah, he has to. That's what he signed up for.

"When you come off the bench, some nights, you got to do what you have to do to make sure the team wins. Tonight, it wasn't my night offensively. I wasn't going to force it to be my night. Kind of played on the ball to get guys going, get Kyle shots, etc. That's the kind of team we are. It's about winning. It's not about statistical numbers."

Added James: "They're the reason why we've been able to play like this and at a high level. There's times where the starting unit, including myself, just don't have it to start the game and then they come in with all that effort and they get us back into it and we ride their wave."

James finished off the Kings, breaking a 95-all tie with five straight points, including another 3-point dagger. But it was Korver who caused the ripple.