Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Kyrie Irving started ice cold, missing his first seven shots. Hours later, his coach was asked to describe a performance he said was unlike anything hed ever seen. Irving piled up a career-high 55 points with an injured LeBron James cheering from the sideline and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Portland Trail Blazers 99-94 on Wednesday night for their eighth consecutive win. Irving electrified Quicken Loans Arena by making a team-record 11 3-pointers, the last of them coming with 6.4 seconds left to give the Cavaliers the lead for good. His 55 points were the most ever scored by a Cavaliers player at home and one shy of James franchise- record 56 in a game in Toronto on March 20, 2005. The fourth-year point guard almost single-handedly extended Clevelands winning streak. Final Score: Philadelphia 89, Detroit 69 Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Robert Covington made four 3-pointers en route to 19 points for the Philadelphia 76ers, who snapped a six-game losing streak with an 89-69 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. Michael Carter-Williams returned from a one-game absence to finish with 14 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Sixers, who improved to 4-18 at home this season. JaKarr Sampson added 13 points and eight boards for Philadelphia. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute tallied 12 points and Henry Sims and K.J. McDaniels each scored 10 points. Final Score: Toronto 119, Sacramento 102 Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Lou Williams netted 27 points off the bench and the Toronto Raptors defeated the Sacramento Kings 119-102 on Wednesday night. Greivis Vasquez posted 18 points and six assists, Jonas Valanciunas provided 15 points and nine rebounds and Kyle Lowry added 13 points and seven assists for Toronto, which has won four straight games. The Raptors had seven players reach double figures in scoring. Final Score: Atlanta 113, Brooklyn 102 Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - The longest winning streak in the NBA this season now belongs to the unselfish and red-hot Atlanta Hawks, who rolled to their 17th straight victory Wednesday with a 113-102 triumph over the Brooklyn Nets. Six Hawks scored in double figures and an impressive 76 percent (29- of-38) of their field goals came directly off an assist. Paul Millsap totaled 28 points and 15 rebounds, Jeff Teague orchestrated the offense with 13 points and 11 assists and Al Horford added 20 points and 10 boards for the victors. Kyle Korver made five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points for Atlanta, which has already matched its win total of 38 from last season. Joe Johnson scored a team-high 26 points and Jarrett Jack finished with 14 points and a career-high 13 assists in the Nets third straight loss. Final Score: Houston 99, Dallas 94 Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - James Harden walked up to the foul line with a slight limp in the closing moments, but still sunk both game-clinching free throws. Josh Smith had 18 points and six rebounds, Harden added 17 points, eight assists and four steals and the Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 99-94 on Wednesday night. Harden was slow to get up after banging knees with Monta Ellis near the left elbow during the middle to late stages of the fourth quarter following a drive. Harden, though, gutted it out, but was seen grimacing near the Rockets bench after knocking down his foul shots. Donatas Motiejunas posted 16 points and five rebounds for Houston, which has won three straight games. Ellis finished with 33 points and five assists and Chandler Parsons netted 21 points for the Mavericks, who have dropped four consecutive contests. Final Score: Minnesota 110, Boston 98 Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Martin returned to score 21 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves snapped a 10-game home losing streak with a 110-98 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Martin missed 34 games after suffering a fractured right wrist on Nov. 19 but led seven Timberwolves scorers in double figures while playing 29 minutes off the bench. Zach LaVine added 17 points in the win, Gorgui Dieng had 16 with 14 rebounds, Nikola Pekovic scored 14 and Andrew Wiggins and Thaddeus Young each had 12. The Timberwolves played without guard Mo Williams and won for the first time at home since a 90-82 victory over Portland on Dec. 10. The NBA basement dwellers snapped a five-game overall losing streak, winning for just the fourth time in the last 31 games. Final Score: Denver 93, New Orleans 85 New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Arron Afflalo and Ty Lawson were both instrumental down the stretch to help the Denver Nuggets snap their seven-game losing streak. Afflalo had a team-high 20 points and Lawson distributed 13 assists in the Nuggets 93-85 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. Lawson had just five points on 2-of-12 shooting, but his basket late in the fourth along with a pair of assists to Afflalo aided to the win. Tyreke Evans scored 15 of his 25 points in the third quarter to pace the Pelicans, who had their four-game winning streak halted. Anthony Davis, who temporarily left the game in the third after suffering a leg injury, supplied 24 points and 12 rebounds in the setback. Final Score: New York 100, Oklahoma City 92 New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Carmelo Anthony tallied 31 points to help the New York Knicks continue their improved play of late with a 100-92 victory over a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder squad. Anthony, who sat out Saturdays game at Charlotte to rest his ailing left knee, added 10 rebounds in the Knicks fourth win in five outings since they lost a franchise-worst 16 in a row from Dec. 14-Jan. 15. While Anthony was back on the court, the Thunder played without reigning league MVP Kevin Durant for a second straight contest due to a sprained left toe. Russell Westbrook did all he could to offset Durants absence by pouring in 40 points, which still wasnt enough to prevent Oklahoma City from a potentially costly loss to one of the NBAs bottom-feeding teams. Final Score: San Antonio 95, Charlotte 86 San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Tim Duncan posted his second straight double-double and five Spurs reached double figures in San Antonios 95-86 win over the Charlotte Hornets. Duncan had 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Tony Parker and Danny Green scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, in the Spurs third straight win. They have also won nine of 11 and havent lost consecutive games since late December. Duncan and Green finished with three blocks and two steals apiece. Al Jefferson tallied 17 points and 16 rebounds for Charlotte, which is 9-3 over its last 12 games, with two of those losses coming to the defending champs. Cody Zeller neared a triple-double in the setback, posting nine points, 13 boards and seven assists. Final Score: LA Clippers 94, Utah 89 Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Paul and Jamal Crawford each scored 21 points as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 94-89 on Wednesday night. Blake Griffin had 17 points and seven rebounds for the Clippers, who have won 13 straight over the Jazz. Los Angeles, which opened up an eight-game road trip, has won six straight overall. Enes Kanter paced Utah with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Derrick Favors contributed 18 points with nine rebounds and Gordon Hayward added 11 points in the loss. Final Score: Phoenix 106, Washington 98 Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Goran Dragic posted 20 points in the Phoenix Suns 106-98 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. Isaiah Thomas had 18 points off the bench, Markieff Morris scored 16 and P.J. Tucker went for 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Marcin Gortat and Otto Porter each netted 14 points in the loss, while Kris Humphries tallied 11 points and 15 rebounds. The Wizards had their two-game winning streak halted. Cheap Air Max 97 Wholesale . -- Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer will be out three to six weeks with a stress fracture of the third finger of his right hand. Air Max 97 Vapormax Cheap . Klein went undrafted in the NFL last year following his senior season with the Wildcats. He was invited to the Houston Texans rookie camp, but was not offered a contract. http://www.outletairmax97.com/air-max-97-plus-cheap.html. The freestyle skier from Calgary finished sixth in the qualification round with a total of 82.00 points. Groenewoud won a silver medal at the X Games last month, just over five weeks after undergoing double knee surgery. Air Max 97 China Wholesale .1 Sam Stosur will meet Germanys second-ranked player Andrea Petkovic in the opening match of the Fed Cup World Group semifinal. Cheap Womens Air Max 97 . The league announced Thursday that Tom Higgins is leaving that post effective immediately.Night falls on the final Saturday of February and Julio Cesar is not starting a game once again. Yet, when he walks out on the field he has a huge smile on his face as he stops to say hello. Julio Cesar is back in his happy place. His new team, Toronto FC, start their pre-season game against Orlando City FC with him on the bench but he knows it is simply a routine night off from the number one spot he recently inherited. It is fitting that he is here in Orlando, in the shadows of Walt Disney World, a place that turns dreams into reality for millions every year. Yet, it was one thing to bring joy to the face of a child when they meet Mickey Mouse; it is quite another to bring together a scenario where the Brazilian number one goalkeeper chooses a Major League Soccer franchise, that has won 17 of their last 102 league matches since 2010, to prepare him for the sports ultimate stage. From the makers of Remember The Titans and Miracle, Disney, we present you with another remarkable sports script, currently taking place in your back garden. "I am really happy here," Cesar told me in an interview before the match. How can he not be? Everyone he left behind in England is sleeping as he trains hard with fellow keeper Joe Bendik before the game. Three weeks ago thats where he was, fast asleep dreaming of getting another chance. At the end of January he lay in his London bed counting down the days to the World Cup and wondering if he would be able to play. The transfer window closed and no offers had come. "The truth is Toronto is the only team that came after me and gave me the chance to sign - I talked with my agent and I said I need to play because I went eight months without playing." Cesar stops and apologies for his difficulty with the English language. "My English is really rubbish - everyone in Brazil keeps joking with me about my English. I try and do my best." The 34-year-old jokes he can speak two-and-a-half languages but as he does he concentrates to find the right words to deliver the important message about a time in his life that was clearly a real challenge. He continues: "For me, it was a tough, tough time, I was very sad in England. My agent talked to me and the deal came together quickly for me to sign with them. I have some friends that live in Toronto and they told me its a good city to live and I know MLS is growing, so I accept quickly. I am really happy - I am so thankful to MLS for this good opportunity to play games before the World Cup and arrive at the World Cup fit." Cesars night ends as it began, as a substitute, but as he leaves the field he is joined by Michael Bradley and Dwayne De Rosario. Cesar to Bradley to De Rosario is a combination coach Ryan Nelsen will lean on a lot this season. They are also big parts of arguably the biggest offseason transformation in MLS history. It could be a Disney fairytale, but this is a box office reality show and with two designated players added to score goals as well, the Reds are the talk of MLS here in Disney. The return of the local star De Rosario? Romantic. The signing of Gilberto, an exciting unknown talent from Brazil? Adventurous. The capture of Jermain Defoe? A blockbuster. Bradley? A real hardcore thriller. Now Cesar as well? Are you following along, Disney? Forget Kevin Spacey and his pals, these five are the Unusual Suspects that no one saw coming, tasked with bringing success to Toronto FC and changing perceeptions of a club that has only known failure.dddddddddddd Time to make a movie poster, Toronto FC fans. On it, Cesar would want to be next to Bradley. He spends a lot of time with teammate Jackson, a fellow Brazilian, who he can easily converse with in Portuguese but he admits the former Roma midfielders knowledge of Italian is a big plus. "Michael is great, I followed him in Italy, in Rome, a good midfielder, and day after day he is teaching me English through Italian." Cesar and Bradley started their TFC journey against Columbus here in Disney last Wednesday. It is not a game he will remember much about, although he is a player who remembers many matches. Interestingly, however, when pressed to name the one he will think about more than most, he chooses a game he lost. "Its Barcelona-Inter Camp Nou semifinal of the Champions League in 2010," Cesar tells me with a smile. "Barcelona were amazing at that moment so to put them out at the semifinal was so gratifying and to play in a Champions League final, for me, is one of the best moments in my career." That 1-0 loss gave 10-man Inter (Thiago Motta was sent off) a 3-2 win on aggregate and was one of the greatest defensive performances in recent history. Not surprisingly, Cesars eyes widen when he thinks back to the dressing room after the match, as he celebrated with so many great professionals like Lucio, Javier Zanetti, Maicon, Samuel Etoo and Wesley Sneijder. "We all started jumping inside the dressing room - led by Materazzi. You know, you cant believe it at the moment if its true or not but the dream came true - it is one of the best memories I have in my mind." The goalkeeper knows many of his best memories are behind him but hopes the best moment of all is still to come. "Im really excited for the World Cup, you know, not just for me but my colleagues on the national team, the supporters as well, it is a big moment for our country. We have the opportunity to make history. I played in 2006, 2010 and this is my last World Cup and its in my country, which is amazing!" Spend a few minutes with Cesar and you begin to realize he is one of those rare footballers who think of himself more as an international than a club player. It is not difficult to understand why, having been left out by QPR all season, yet through that heartache his love affair with his national team grew stronger through a remarkable act of loyalty. An act that is ultimately the reason for him now being with Toronto FC. Back in September, Brazilian manager Luiz Felipe Scolari stated Cesar would definitely be going to the World Cup, regardless of what happened with QPR. "This season when I went to the national team I was smiling again because I had an opportunity to play and thats really important, I owe a lot to Scolari but also (assistant coach and former World Cup winner) Carlos Alberto Parreira as well - they are doing good things for me. When you dont play, the press talk a lot with them because we have good goalkeepers in Brazil but when you dont play and the coach of the national team still wants you it is very special, so I am so thankful to them because they trust me a lot in my job, so I came to Toronto because I need to pay them back." And that is why the goalkeeper, who in fifteen weeks will be on the pitch for Brazil against Croatia in the World Cup opener, is here in Disney. The only thing missing is a film maker. ' ' '