Johnny Cash » Nov. 29. Iginla scored with 7:05 remaining in regulation,

CLEVELAND -- The Raptors arent officially in the NBA playoffs. They dont look ready for them, either. Dion Waiters scored 24 points, Luol Deng added 19 and the Cleveland Cavaliers prevented Toronto from getting closer to a post-season spot with a 102-100 win over the sloppy Raptors on Tuesday night. Toronto fell behind by 21 points in the third quarter, and then battled back to take a 95-94 lead. But the Raptors fell apart in the final minutes. With their fourth loss in six games, the Raptors dropped one-half game behind Chicago for the No. 3 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. "We gotta get back to who we are," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said in disgust. "Its easy to get up for OKC, Miami and Indiana, but the other teams are playing for something too, which is pride. That can be even more dangerous." Despite playing without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who missed his fifth straight game with a strained biceps tendon, the Cavs were able to hold on and snap a five-game losing streak at home. "It was a good win by our guys," coach Mike Brown said. "Thats a playoff team. They were playing good basketball. In a game like that, maybe earlier in the season we might have lost, especially coming down the stretch when a team makes a run against us. Our guys found a way to win." Kyle Lowry scored 22 and Terrence Ross had 16 for the Raptors, who had a chance to tie it in the final seconds but guard Greivis Vasquez lost his footing and committed a turnover with 1.9 seconds left. "I was trying to spin and I lost my balance," Vasquez said. "It was just a bad play for me. It was me going to my weak hand and I lost my balance, stepped kind of weird. I turned the ball over. Ill take responsibility. Im not going to run away. Im a man. I wish I could be in that position again so we have another opportunity tomorrow (at Boston)." Toronto took a 95-94 lead on Vasquezs 3-pointer with 6:45 remaining, but the Raptors went just 1 of 9 from the floor and scored five points the rest of the way. Tristan Thompson added 15 points and 13 rebounds and Jarret Jack had 13 points for Cleveland, which kept its faint playoff hopes alive. The Cavs trail idle Atlanta by 4 1/2 games for the No. 8 playoff slot. The Raptors may be closing in on their first post-season appearance since 2008, but the Atlantic Division leaders looked out of sorts at both ends. They fought back from a big deficit, but fell apart with the game on the line. Toronto missed three free throws in the final 4:26, but still had a chance to force overtime or possibly steal their 40th win after forcing a Cleveland turnover on an errant inbounds pass with 7.8 seconds to go. But Vasquez, who finished with 16 points, drove the left side and slipped about 10 feet from the basket. As he fell, Vasquez flung the ball in desperation and it was intercepted on the right side by Deng. Vasquez remained on the floor for a few seconds grabbing his ankle before he limped off the court. "It was a handoff to Greivis to turn the corner," Casey said. "I thought he turned it pretty well and his ankle went out on him. But one play was not when we lost that game. The game was decided with the way we played in the first quarter." However, Toronto didnt execute when it needed to and lost to a Cleveland team playing for nothing more than pride. At least the Cavs overcame their own mistakes, something theyve rarely done during this disappointing season. "We just stayed with it," Waiters said. "We didnt get rattled and made plays when we needed to." Clevelands offence was clicking early on. The Cavs recorded assists on eight of their first 10 buckets, opened a 14-point lead in the first quarter and pushed their advantage to 18 in the second. Toronto made three 3-pointers -- the Raptors had eight 3s in the first half -- in a span of 1:27 to climb within 49-40, but Cleveland regrouped and led 59-45 at halftime. NOTES: The Cavs are 12-11 since Feb. 7. ... Toronto was just 16 of 26 from the line. ... Irving rode a stationary bike on the side as the Cavs went through their morning shootaround. Afterward, Irving looked good doing some shooting drills. Brown said Irving is "closer" to returning, but its not guaranteed the third-year pro will play again this season. ... Raptors F Patrick Patterson (right ulnar collateral sprain) missed his 10th consecutive game. He was cleared to resume contact practices Monday. Draymond Green Warriors Jersey . If there is one club built to handle an off-field controversy, its the Bill Belichick era Patriots. Even if New Englands offence stumbles a bit out of the gate, their defence can help them stay in games, especially in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets in the first two weeks. Glenn Robinson Warriors Jersey . Goins is the early favourite to win the starting job at second base. Pillar is an outsider to secure a role off the bench, which becomes an even more difficult spot to win if the number of back up jobs is reduced by one. That happens if the Blue Jays decide to start the season with an eight man bullpen. https://www.warriorsrookiesshop.com/ .com) - The top spot in the AFC South will be on the line when Houston native Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts shoot for their fourth straight win when they take on the Texans at NRG Stadium. Custom Golden State Warriors Jerseys . "There are a lot of things that are going very well in this organization. Im not coming in here to rip things apart," Nicholson told reporters Friday. "I know what Hockey Canada was when I started, and I know where this (Oilers) organization is today. Latrell Sprewell Jersey .Y. -- The "for sale" sign is up at the Buffalo Bills with the hiring of financial and legal advisers who may begin talking with prospective buyers within the next month.Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene scored on Colorados first two chances in the shootout, as the Avalanche rallied for a 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night. Jarome Iginla and Ryan OReilly scored late for the Avalanche after Mark Scheifele had given the Jets a 3-1 lead at 4:32 of the third period. Calvin Pickard made 30 saves, including two huge stops in overtime, before shutting out Winnipeg in the shootout, helping Colorado snap a four-game losing streak. Scheifele added two assists and Ondrej Pavelec made 23 saves for Winnipeg, which has picked up at least a point in eight straight games (5-0-3). MacKinnon beat Pavelec over the glove to start the shootout, then Pickard made a right pad save on Mathieu Perreault. After Duchene flipped a backhander past Pavelec, Pickard turned away a bid from Blake Wheeler for Colorados first win since Nov. 29. Iginla scored with 7:05 remaining in regulation, and OReilly banged home a rebound with 2:42 left. In overtime, Pickkard stopped Andrew Ladd on a breakaway as well as Bryan Little on a follow-up chance.dddddddddddd After a scoreless 20 minutes, Ladd staked Winnipeg to a 1-0 lead on a power play at 1:21 of the second period. Defenseman Jan Hejda set up Duchene for the tying goal at 3:55. However, he was a little unlucky on another Winnipeg power play. Scheifele tried to pass the puck from the left circle to a teammate at the right post. Hejda slowed up the pass with his stick when he went down to the ice, but Paul Postma jumped on the puck in the slot and beat Pickard with 5:20 to play. Colorados Daniel Briere put the puck off the side of the net on a breakaway with about two minutes left in the middle stanza. Game Notes Avalanche forward Dennis Everberg returned to the lineup after missing eight games with a shoulder injury ... Winnipeg forward Evander Kane served the second of his two-game suspension ... The Jets posted a 6-2 home win against the Avalanche last Friday. ' ' '