Cavaliers fall to the Hornets ; Kyrie Return

Vasquez scored 16 of his 25 points in the third quarter and the Hornets beat the slumping Cavaliers 112-92 on Sunday.

Ryan Anderson added 23 points for the Hornets to help the Hornets bounce back from a blowout loss to Miami on Friday night and snap a two-game skid. Anthony Davis had 17 points and 13 rebounds for his rookies-leading 17th double-double, Brian Roberts scored 15 and Eric Gordon had 14.

Kryie Irving returned from a shoulder injury and led the Cavaliers with 31 points and six assists. Cleveland, which lost its eighth straight, was 1-7 in Irving's absence. Tristan Thompson, Wayne Ellington and Mareese Speights each scored 12 points for the Cavaliers and Shaun Livingston had 11.

76ers beats Cavaliers 97-87

Evan Turner scored 23 points and the 76ers beat Cleveland 97-87 on Friday night, sending the Cavaliers to their season-high seventh straight loss.

C.J. Miles scored 19 points for Cleveland, which had lost six in a row on two previous occasions. The Cavaliers trailed 77-66 after three quarters, but cut the margin to 78-74 early in the fourth. Turner hit a 3-pointer and a jumper to push the lead back to nine. Holiday added two 3-pointers and scored in the lane to keep the Sixers comfortably ahead.


Philadelphia, which is 2-16 on the road since Jan. 2, took control in the second half to keep its faint playoff hopes alive.

Philadelphia is ninth in the Eastern Conference, but sits 6 1/2 games behind Milwaukee in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot with 10 contests to play.

Turner, who had three points at halftime, scored 13 in the first seven minutes of the third quarter and knocked down several timely shots to help the Sixers build their lead.

The last few weeks have been anything but cool for the Cavaliers, who played again without their starting backcourt of Kyrie Irving (bruised shoulder) and Dion Waiters (sore knee). Cleveland, which has the third-worst record in the East, was officially eliminated from postseason contention Thursday when Milwaukee defeated the Los Angeles Lakers.

In addition to injuries, the Cavaliers' previous three losses were particularly frustrating. Cleveland squandered a 27-point lead in the second half and lost to Miami at home, was blown out by 38 points in Houston the following game for its worst loss of the season and let a 14-point lead with eight minutes to play get away at home and lost at the buzzer against Boston on Wednesday.

Jrue Holiday had 20 points and Thaddeus Young added 18 for the Sixers, who used a 20-2 run that began late in the second quarter and extended into the third to take command.

Spencer Hawes had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia, but Turner, who played his college ball at Ohio State, was the biggest difference.

Jeff Green Buzzer doom Cavs 93-92

CJ Miles and Speights both scored 13 pts each for the Cavs as the Cavs couldn't close out the game leading by 6 at the start of the fourth. Wayne Ellington scored 16 points to lead Cleveland, which has lost six in a row - matching a season high - and 10 of 12.

Green hit the winning layup at the buzzer and scored 21 points, and the Celtics snapped a five-game losing streak with a 93-92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Pierce hit a jumper with 32 seconds remaining to make it 92-91. Following a miss by Shaun Livingston, the Celtics regained possession and called timeout with 9.2 seconds left. The next play, which began in the backcourt, seemed to set Pierce up for the final shot before Alonzo Gee knocked the ball loose in front of Cleveland's bench with 2.1 seconds remaining.

The Celtics regrouped while a video review confirmed they had possession of the ball. Green took an inbound pass from Avery Bradley near the three-point line, drove into the lane and scored over two defenders as time expired.

The Cavaliers were coming off their worst defeat of the season, a 38-point loss at Houston on Friday. Cleveland seemingly had control of the game in the fourth quarter, but lost a battle of teams that have been decimated by injuries.

Boston played without Garnett, who missed his third straight consecutive because of inflammation in his left ankle. Guard Courtney Lee has also missed the last three games of a sprained left ankle.
Cleveland played without All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who missed his seventh straight game with a bruised left shoulder. Dion Waiters, the Cavaliers' starting shooting guard, was out for the third game in a row with a sore left knee.

It was another frustrating loss for Cleveland coach Byron Scott, whose team was outscored 21-6 with the game on the line.

Heat huge comback beat Cavs keep streak to 24

LeBron James scored 25 points as the Miami Heat overcame a 27-point deficit in the third quarter and won their 24th straight game, 98-95 over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night to extend the second-longest winning streak in NBA history.

James and his teammates have insisted the record isn't one of their goals, and for more than 30 minutes the defending champions seemed disinterested and on the verge of losing for the first time since Feb. 1. Miami trailed 67-40 with 7:44 left in the third quarter.

But behind the irrepressible James, who added 12 rebounds and 10 assists, the Heat inched closer to history by matching the biggest comeback in the NBA this season, according to STATS.
Although the Cavs were missing All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Anderson Varejao - their top three scorers - they pushed Miami to the limit.

It wasn't until James, playing his fourth game back in Cleveland since leaving as a free agent in 2010, made two free throws with 4.7 seconds left that Miami could relax a little. The Cavs had one last chance to tie it, but C.J. Miles was long with a 3-pointer in the final second, letting Miami off the hook.

Mario Chalmers added 17 points and Dwyane Wade had 11 for the Heat, who outscored the Cavs 30-18 in the fourth quarter and 64-40 in the second half.

Wayne Ellington had 20 points and Tristan Thompson 18 for Cleveland, which went from a stunning upset to blowing the biggest lead in a loss in franchise history.

Green, Hansbrough lead Pacers past Cavs, 111-90

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Indiana coach Frank Vogel wasn't in a very good mood before Monday's game against Cleveland, and it was easy to see why.

Not only had the Pacers dropped two in a row, including a loss to lowly Philadelphia on Sunday, Vogel was going to be without forward David West, who missed the game with a back injury.
Thanks to a balanced attack, Vogel felt much better about things a few hours later. Gerald Green scored 20 points and Tyler Hansbrough, starting in place of West, had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Pacers to a 111-90 victory.

West was out with a sprained lower back sustained against the 76ers, but the Pacers dominated without their second-leading scorer. Green scored 13 points in the second quarter and Hansbrough, making just his second start of the season, led a balanced attack.

Paul George scored 14 points while Roy Hibbert added 12 as the Pacers avoided losing three in a row for the third time this season.

''This was a great team win,'' Vogel said. ''Tyler is a starter in this league. Obviously, we got a big, big lift from Gerald Green.''

However, not everyone in the Pacers' locker room was in a cheery mood. The bad blood that's developed between the teams this season surfaced again late in the third quarter when Cavaliers center Marreese Speights was ejected for a flagrant foul 2 on George, the Pacers' All-Star forward. George was driving for a fast-break layup when Speights grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the floor. The officials called Speights for a flagrant foul and ejected him after looking at the replay.

George made it clear he was unhappy with the hard foul.
''It was a punk play, honestly,'' he said. ''It's as simple as that. Me and Mo Speights are cool, so I don't think it's anything personal, but that was a punk play the way he went after me like that.''

The teams had an altercation in their first meeting when Tristan Thompson and Hansbrough had to be separated after Thompson caught Hansbrough's younger brother, Ben, with an errant elbow. Tyler Hansbrough and Daniel Gibson exchanged words when the teams met in December.

The teams play for the final time this season in Indiana on April 9 and it's obvious the Pacers have left an impression on a young Cavaliers team.

''They came into our house and beat us down,'' said Dion Waiters, who didn't play after the first quarter because of a sore left knee.

''We have to come out and throw the first punch; be men about it,'' said Tristan Thompson, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds. ''Don't sit back and see how Indiana is going to play.''
C.J. Miles led Cleveland with 21 points, but injuries continued to plague the Cavaliers. Waiters will be re-evaluated Tuesday and isn't sure if he will play Wednesday when the Cavaliers host Miami. Cleveland also played its fourth straight game without All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who is out with a sprained left shoulder.

Green scored 13 points in the second quarter, including three 3-pointers in a stretch of 1:29, to spark a 20-7 run to end the period. Indiana led 40-38 midway through the quarter, but Green had 11 points and Tyler Hansbrough added a three-point play and a layup.

West missed just his second game this season, but Indiana continued to pull away in the second half. The Pacers built a 28-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Jeff Pendergraph added 11 points for Indiana, which had lost four of six. Indiana also maintained its hold on second place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Cleveland has lost three in a row and was down to 10 players by the end of the game.

Spurs win over Cavs, 119-113

Parker less San Antonio Spurs was led by Tim Duncan with 30 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-113 on Saturday night.

Kawhi Leonard added 24 points and 13 boards, and Manu Ginobili added 14 points and 10 assists for San Antonio.

Wayne Ellington had 21 points and fellow reserve Marreese Speights added 19 for Cleveland. Shaun Livingston had 16 points, and Alonzo Gee and Dion Waiters added 15 apiece.

Cavs top two players point guard Kyrie Irving and center Anderson Varejao are still out with injuries.

Cavs fall to Raptors 100-96 Kyrie Irving injured

Top Performers:

CLE: D. Waiters 21 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast
TOR: A. Johnson 17 Pts, 16 Reb, 2 Ast

Cleveland rookie Dion Waiters scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth, Thompson had 11 points and 10 rebounds and C.J. Miles scored 15 off the bench.


Amir Johnson scored 17 points and matched his career high with 16 rebounds, Alan Anderson scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and the Toronto Raptors overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the slumping Cavaliers 100-96 on Sunday night.

Irving was knocked out with a left shoulder injury late in the third quarter as Cleveland lost for the fourth time in five games. X-rays were negative and he will have further tests Monday.

Irving was hurt when he collided with Toronto rookie Jonas Valanciunas on a baseline drive with 2:04 left in the third, and he shot the resulting free throws one-handed. Irving made the first but missed the second before walking off and heading to the locker room. He finished with 12 points.

Kyle Lowry had 15 points and nine rebounds, Ross scored 14 points and DeMar DeRozan had 13 points for Toronto, which had lost its previous two meetings with the Cavaliers.

Cavaliers lost to Grizzlies 103-92

Marc Gasol scored 22 points and Jerryd Bayless scored 17 points as the Grizzlies held off a late run to win for the 11th time in 12 games.

Kyrie Irving scored a team-high 24 points, but the Cavaliers were outscored 32-18 in the third quarter after leading 51-48 at halftime.

Cavaliers forward Alonzo Gee scored 12 points while C.J. Miles had 13.

Cleveland Cavs tops Utah Jazz 104 - 101

Cavs outscored the Jazz in the fourth quarter 36 to 25 to salvage a win. Irving scored 20 (7-20) points, 11 in the last 4:21, and Cleveland's All-Star guard made all the big plays down the stretch, rallying the Cavs to a 104-101 victory over the Utah Jazz.

Gordon Hayward scored 25 and Enes Kanter had 17 for the Jazz, who have lost five of six.

Paul Millsap scored 16 points and Alec Burks 14 for the Jazz, which lost in overtime at Milwaukee on Monday. Utah played its third straight game without starting forward Al Jefferson, who has a sprained left ankle.

Knicks 102 Cavs 97

Cleveland Cavaliers fall to the Knicks 102 - 97.

Knicks All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony injured his right knee during the game and did not return. Anthony stumbled near midcourt after catching a pass and fell awkwardly to the floor. When he got up he immediately headed to the locker room with a slight limp.

Kyrie Irving scored 22 points in his return after missing Cleveland's past three games with a hyperextended right knee. Starting power forward Marreese Speights shot 10-for-14 from the field (23 points), and Luke Walton had 12 assists and one steal.

Amare Stoudemire scored 22 points, J.R. Smith added 18 and the New York Knicks overcame a 22-point deficit without All-Star Carmelo Anthony to beat the Cavaliers 102-97 on Monday night, ending a 10-game losing streak in Cleveland.

Steve Novak made three of New York's seven 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Knicks rallied and shook off a tough home loss on Sunday, when they blew a 16-point lead to Miami.

Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving return

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard, is on the verge of returning to the starting lineup on Monday against the New York Knicks.

He missed the previous three games due to a hyperextended right knee. He took his full turn in practice on Sunday at Cleveland Clinic Courts.

"Based on what I saw today in practice, there's a good chance he'll play tomorrow," Cavs coach Byron Scott said.

Irving's last hurdle is how he feels when he wakes up Monday morning and whether he gets through shootaround unscathed.

The last time he faced the Knicks, Irving erupted for a career-high 41 points in a 103-102 loss on Dec. 15 at Madison Square Garden.

The Cavs (20-39) have the Knicks' number at Quicken Loans Arena, having won 10 games in a row in the series.

"From what I saw today, he's good," Scott said.

He's been held out of the lineup since the four-point loss at Miami on Feb. 24.

"It was something I think he needed," Scott said. "Obviously, he could have probably continued to play. It just depends on his threshold of pain, because it was going to be painful. But we just didn't see a reason why."

It made more sense for Irving to take some time off. He has missed 14 games this season.