CHICAGO -- The Cavaliers are one victory from tying the franchise record for winning streaks at 13 games.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, two of Cleveland's three hottest players right now, played for a Miami Heat group that won 27 straight in 2013. So, by comparison, the 12 wins the Cavs have now and the 13th they might pick up Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings aren't that big of a deal.

But James, Wade, and the Cavs as a whole are acknowledging the streak, following their 113-91 win over the Chicago Bulls. They're taking stock of how they got here and appreciating the turnaround from an inauspicious 5-7 start to the season.

Most teams deal with injuries. For the Cavs, Isaiah Thomas has yet to play this season, Derrick Rose has played just seven and even left the team for a while. They're both point guards. Tristan Thompson has been injured since Nov. 1 and Iman Shumpert is out two months after knee surgery.

"We're where we want to be today and that's all we can focus on," said James, in pointing to the injuries. James finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, and six assists Monday.

The Cavs last won 12 straight from Jan. 15-Feb. 5, 2015 in James' first season back with Cleveland. They've gone to three consecutive Finals, and have struggled in each of the last three years with stretches of complacency and waning focus during the regular season.

For instance, after they'd lost their third of what would be a four-game losing streak from Oct. 25-Nov. 1 of this season, James' answer was "it's October."

In other words, who cares?

But the Cavs cleared their heads and have since gotten down to business. They're the league's third-highest-scoring team (without Thomas, who scored 28.9 ppg last year) and have improved from 30th in defensive efficiency to 24th.

"I think the guys deserve a lot of credit for putting the work in, there's been a lot of different lineup changes, guys getting in better shape, guys continue to put the work in," coach Tyronn Lue said. "I just think from where we started to where we're at now, guys are in a better place. It's good to see. I think they're having fun and enjoying playing basketball."

Lue said the influx of new players such as Wade, Jeff Green and Jae Crowder has helped keep the Cavs' attention and pumped life into the team, as has Thomas, who hasn't played yet.

"I think Isaiah, he's been big just his energy on the bench of cheering and getting on guys who are not doing the right thing, it's just a whole new feel," Lue said.

The Cavs' last loss was on Nov. 9 at West-leading Houston -- a 117-113 decision in which Cleveland trailed by as many as 18 in the second quarter and fought all the way back.

The winning started the next time they took the court, but it was during that Rockets game when the Cavs sensed a change was coming.

"We felt we was on the verge of becoming a better team and then from there, here we are," said Wade, who scored 24 points with six rebounds against the Bulls. "It's been a great 12 games that we won and we want to continue. We want to continue to take care of business."