12-13-2019, 02:37 AM
CLEVELAND - Kyrie Irving clapped his hands as he walked to the middle of the locker room, unaware of the surprise his teammates had in store for him. Wholesale Golden Knights Jerseys .As Irving untucked his jersey, LeBron James and the rest of the Cavaliers crowded around the star point guard before dousing him with bottles of water and some ice. All of the Cavs then danced wildly in a circle.History deserved a celebration.Irving scored a career-high 55 points, the most in the NBA this season and a Quicken Loans Arena record, on Wednesday night as the Cavs won their eighth straight, 99-94 over the Portland Trail Blazers despite playing without an injured James.With James sidelined with a sprained right wrist, Irving made a team record 11 3-pointers, all 10 of his free throws and dropped a go-ahead jumper with 6.4 seconds left that, to this point, is his defining moment as a pro. There are sure to be others to come.Irving, who scored 38 on Tuesday in Detroit, was unstoppable.Ive seen a lot of great performances, Cavs coach David Blatt said. But something quite like that? No. I have not seen that and Ive been coaching a long time.Irving didnt start too well. He missed his first seven shots before heating up and scoring 11 points in the final 1:39 of the first quarter. He had 28 points at halftime, 39 after three quarters and he scored 16 in the fourth to break the arenas single-game record set by Allen Iverson on Jan. 6, 2001. Remarkably, Irving scored 43 more points than his next closest teammate.And, that he did it with James reduced to little more than one of 20,000 witnesses made it that much more impressive.After the Trail Blazers tied it 94-all on two free throws by LaMarcus Aldridge with 27.6 seconds to go, the Cavs called a timeout to set up a play. There was only one choice: Give the ball to Irving.Dribbling on the right side, Irving patiently walked the ball toward Portlands Nicolas Batum, stepped back and drained his 11th 3-pointer, sending the Q into a state of chaos. As he walked slowly toward halfcourt, James rushed onto the floor, jumped and greeted Irving with a chest bump. Irving said the moment was overwhelming.I was really, really emotional at that moment, said Irving, likely to be named an All-Star reserve on Thursday. But the only thing I was worried about was getting that stop.Portland had a chance to tie, but Damian Lillard was way off with a 3-pointer from the corner and the rebound was grabbed by Irving — who else? — and he was fouled. He stepped to the line with 2.1 seconds left, and with chants of M-V-P cascading down from the arenas upper deck and James standing on the sideline with his hands on his head in disbelief, Irving knocked down two free throws to crown his monumental night.It was a total team effort, Irving said after he had been soaked by his teammates, a moment Tristan Thompson shared on Instagram (http://bit.ly/18yGGT9 ).James knew better. The four-time MVP politely declined to speak to reporters, saying the focus should be only on Irving.This is his night, James said.No doubt, though James later weighed in on Twitter, posting: Just watched live one of if not the one greatest performances by a person and he happen to be my teammate/runningmate/brother @KyrieIrving!!Irving was at his best at the end of quarters, scoring Clevelands last 11 points in the first, the final eight in the second and third and 10 of the Cavs last 12.It was a great performance, said Blazers coach Terry Stots. The great ones do that every once in a while.Only James, who scored 56 at Toronto in 2005, has scored more points in a game for the Cavaliers than Irving.James could miss another game or two with the wrist injury he sustained in Detroit when he fell hard after trying to block a shot. James reached out with both arms to brace his fall and said afterward he was scared after breaking his left wrist on a similar play while in high school. The team said an MRI revealed the sprain and that James is doubtful for Fridays game against Sacramento.Until hes ready, Irving can carry the load.After dressing and speaking to reporters, Irving walked slowly down the hallway outside Clevelands locker room. He stopped to shake hands with several security guards and ducked into the teams family lounge to share some hugs and kisses. He then headed toward the exit but not before several fans stopped him to exchange high-fives and well-wishes.Nice game, Kyrie, one of them said.Thanks, said Irving. Good night.No, this one was great. Golden Knights Jerseys 2021 . Today, their baseball playing sons were reportedly traded for each other. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Cubs dealt minor league outfield Trevor Gretzky to the Angels for catcher Matt Scioscia. Golden Knights Jerseys 2020 . Gonzalez participated in his final game on Sunday, Atlantas 21-20 defeat at the hands of the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers, having posted four catches for 46 yards. https://www.cheapgoldenknights.com/ . - Connor McDavid scored twice and added two assists as the Erie Otters beat the Sarnia Sting 7-3 on Saturday night in Ontario Hockey League action.Columbia, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Andrew Harrison scored 15 points and No. 1 Kentucky stayed unbeaten with a relatively restrained 69-53 win over Missouri on Thursday. The Wildcats (20-0, 7-0 SEC) made only two 3-pointers, blocked just one shot and recorded a mere eight assists. Still, they trailed for just 59 seconds, in part because of their 27-13 free throw advantage, but largely from their seemingly impenetrable defense, which forced 15 turnovers. Aaron Harrison scored 11 points, Devin Booker added nine, and Dakari Johnson chipped in eight points and seven rebounds for the victors. Kentucky is off to its first 20-0 start under John Calipari and sent Missouri (7-13, 1-6) to its first six-game losing streak since the 2005-06 season. Wes Clark led the Tigers with 19 points, while Johnathan Williams III added 10 points in a losing cause. These teams met in Lexington two weeks ago, and Missouri was on the losing end of an embarrassing 86-37 final score. When Kentucky scored the first six points in the opening 90 seconds Thursday, there was palpable tension in the crowd hoping their Tigers could at least keep it respecctable. Custom Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys. That concern waned when Williams drained a 3-pointer, and visions of an upset ensued after Clark hit consecutive 3s to give Missouri a 13-12 lead. The Wildcats quieted things by scoring 12 of the final 16 points of the first half, but the Tigers were still within a manageable 34-25 at the break. After making 54.2 percent of their shots in the first half, the Wildcats were held without a field goal for nearly five minutes after the break. They did, however, attack the basket and force multiple fouls to quickly earn their way into the bonus. Missouri was within six before Andrew Harrison scored seven straight points -- five from the foul line -- to give Kentucky a 45-35 cushion. The closest it got from there was 11. Game Notes Kentucky has won all eight meetings vs. Missouri ... Kentucky junior Willie Cauley-Stein was held scoreless until making a layup with under three minutes to play ... The Wildcats bench outscored Missouris reserves 30-15 ... Kentucky hosts Alabama on Saturday ... Missouri ends its three-game homestand Saturday against Ole Miss. ' ' '