Rockets host the Portland Trail Blazers at the Toyota Center

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Thunder coach Scott Brooks joked during pregame that he didnt like what he saw from Kyrie Irving at the All-Star game. Brooks coached the West and watched as Irving led the East to a comeback win on his way to earning MVP honours. Brooks didnt like what he saw from Irving on Wednesday night, and it was no joke this time. The point guard made it look like All-Star weekend again, scoring 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to help the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Oklahoma City 114-104. Irving also had nine assists, five rebounds and four steals. "Kyrie had a huge performance for us," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "He was very efficient in the 43 minutes that he played tonight, I thought offensively, especially." The young Cavaliers, still adjusting to roster changes since the trade deadline, picked up a meaningful victory. Cleveland shot 14 for 21 from the field in the fourth quarter against the Western Conference-leading Thunder. "To come here and get a win in this building versus this team and those players and that coaching staff, for us, is a good confidence booster," Brown said. "Everything for us right now to be a positive will help us long term just as much as it will short term." It was Oklahoma Citys third straight home loss since the All-Star break. The Thunder lost three games at home the entire season before the break. "No one in the locker room, including myself, feels good about it," Brooks said. "The exciting thing is we know we can do better. We just have to maximize our potential." Jarrett Jack scored 21 points, Spencer Hawes scored 19 and Tristan Thompson added 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Kevin Durant had 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Russell Westbrook had 24 points and nine assists and Serge Ibaka added 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder. Oklahoma City is 0-3 since Westbrook returned from his latest knee surgery. Brooks said the bigger issue for the Thunder is their suddenly porous defence. Oklahoma City, one of the leagues top defensive teams all season, allowed 103 points on 55 per cent shooting against Miami and 125 points on 52 per cent shooting against the Los Angeles Clippers before its latest collapse. "Its a defensive toughness," Brooks said. "We have to get tough on the basketball because were giving up too much penetration. We have to fight through screens. These are things that weve done a great job at, we just have to get back to it." In the closing seconds of the first half, Westbrook dribbled as the clock wound down, then pulled up in front of Irving and drained a 3-pointer to give the Thunder a 52-51 lead at the break. The Thunder committed 12 turnovers in the first half, but made up for it by shooting 57 per cent from the field. Durant scored 15 points before the break and Westbrook had 13 points and six assists. Irving had 14 points, four assists and three steals at halftime. The Thunder opened the second half with 3s from Durant and Thabo Sefolosha to take a 58-51 lead. A mid-range jumper by Ibaka stretched Oklahoma Citys lead to 62-53, leading Brown to call a timeout. Cleveland regrouped and cut Oklahoma Citys lead to three on an unusual play. The Cavaliers Luol Deng shot a jumper and Nick Collison was called for goaltending and issued a technical foul for grabbing the net. Irving made the free throw to make it a 69-66 game. The Thunder led 76-72 at the end of the period. "Oklahoma City, they came out and kind of punched us in the mouth a little bit in that third quarter, and our guys didnt panic," Brown said. "They kind of stayed with it." Matthew Dellavedova tied the game at 81 with a floater early in the fourth quarter. Later, a breakaway dunk by Alonzo Gee gave the Cavaliers a 90-86 edge with 7:10 to play. Durants 3-pointer gave the Thunder a 97-95 lead, but the Cavaliers responded with an 8-0 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from Jack and Irving, and they controlled the game from there. "Obviously, playing against a great team, youre going to get up for it," Irving said. "Everyone in the league wants to play against a great team like this, especially on their home floor. But this game doesnt mean any more than any other game that we have coming up. Every game just means a lot at this point, no matter who were playing." NOTES: It was the second consecutive start for Thunder C Steven Adams. He replaced Kendrick Perkins, who is out for six weeks with a groin injury. ... Hawes started for the second time since being traded from Philadelphia. ... Durant was honoured during pregame for being selected as the Western Conference player of the month for January. ... Thunder G Derek Fisher was issued a technical foul early in the second quarter, his third of the season. Anibal Sanchez Jersey . 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She took the opening set before the unseeded American came back for the 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory.The Chicago Bulls begin another playoff run without Derrick Rose on Sunday night when they welcome the Washington Wizards to the United Center. Catch the game as the first half of a doubleheader on TSN2 starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. Chicago is in the postseason for a sixth straight year and for the second time without Rose because of lingering knee issues. The Bulls got by without Rose in the first round last season, using a full seven-game series to dispose of the Brooklyn Nets, but the eventual two-time NBA champion Miami Heat bounced the Bulls in five games in the East semifinals. Now the Bulls are taking on a young and inexperienced Wizards team that won two of three meetings against them in the regular season. The Wizards have to play the first two games in the Windy City, where they are just 5-15 in the last 20 games. "The Wizards are a tough team, tough, tough team," said Chicago sixth man Taj Gibson. "They gave us so many problems in the regular season; great shooters. They got some great bigs in Nene and (Marcin) Gortat. John Wall is playing some phenomenal basketball. Bradley Beal is playing great basketball, too. Their bench is loaded up. Its going to be tough." When Rose went down early this season, the Bulls became Joakim Noahs team, although defense is still their calling card. Chicago finished tops in the NBA in opponents scoring (93.7 ppg) and second in opponents shooting percentage (43.2). The Bulls have ranked no lower than third in opponents scoring in head coach Tom Thibodeaus four seasons at the helm. Noah is headed toward a possible Defensive Player of the Year award, but his offensive game is what carried the Bulls. He averaged 12.6 points and led the Bulls with 11.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. Noah played an integral part for Chicagos top defense, but also averaged a career-high 5.4 assists. Chicago won an Eastern Conference-best 36 games since Jan. 1 and won seven in a row before closing out the season with two losses in three tries. Washington is wet behind the ears when it comes to recent postseason appearances. It has returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2007-08, when it lost in six games to a young LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Wizards are facing the Bulls for the third time in the postseason, as they were swept 3-0 back in the first round of the 1997 playoffs and won a best-of- seven series 4-2 in 2005. "I feel like we like our chances against anybody if we play the right way," said Wall, who averaged 20.7 points, 8.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds in three games versus the Bulls this season. "We just have to go out there and play the way we know how to play, and play the defense were capable of playing. Were here and were focused and will try to leave a statement and see where it takes us." The Wizards received a big boost with the return of veteran big man, Nene. He missed a ton of time in the middle of the season, but came back for four games at the end. He averaged 14.3 points and should come in handy against the bruising frontline of Chicago. Washington toook advantage of a weaker Eastern Conference to reach the playoffs and went 19-11 after the break.dddddddddddd The Wizards closed the regular season with four straight wins and eight in the last 11 games. Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets Two of the leagues best offensive units take center stage Sunday night when the Houston Rockets host the Portland Trail Blazers at the Toyota Center. Catch the game as the tail end of a doubleheader on TSN2 starting at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. The Rockets are the NBAs second-ranked offense at 107.7 ppg, followed by the Trail Blazers, who are fourth with 106.9 ppg. Houston secured the home-court advantage with a win on Monday against the NBAs best, the San Antonio Spurs. "We fought hard for it. It took a little longer than I hoped but we knew we had to get 54 wins and we got there with one to spare," said Rockets coach Kevin McHale. The matchup between the two squads has been decidedly in Houstons favor over the last few seasons. The Rockets have won nine of the last 12 meetings, including three of four this season. "Its the West. We dont care who were going to play, its going to be tough anyway," said Portland forward Nicolas Batum. "Houston is a good team, a great team. Theyve got a good group of players. We match up pretty well with them. Weve had good games, tough games." The Rockets were believed to be a serious contender for an NBA title when they signed prized free agent Dwight Howard in the offseason. Along with All-Star guard James Harden, they form a formidable one-two punch. Portland, on the other hand, was a bit of a surprise this season. The Blazers hadnt made the playoffs the last two seasons, but the core group stayed healthy and the bench improved significantly. These two teams met in the first round back in 2009, but oh how different they both are just five years later. Houston has no players on the roster from that team, which was led by Yao Ming, while only LaMarcus Aldridge and Batum remain for the Blazers. "It wont be easy. It is going to be fun," said Batum. "Excited finally for playoffs to start because we wait too much for that, now almost three years, so ready to start." The Rockets got healthy at the right time. Howard missed significant time late in the season with an ankle injury and starting point guard Patrick Beverley was shelved with a knee problem. Both came back before the end of the season and should be all-clear for the playoffs. Portland is healthy. This matchup is so even, down to the matching 54-28 records. Each team had two All-Stars in Howard and Harden for Houston and Aldridge and Damian Lillard for Portland. As expected due to both teams high offensive output, defense has suffered. The Blazers ranked 22nd in opponents scoring, while the Rockets were one rung below. "Its going to be a great series," said Harden. "There are so many guys that can score for them and for us. Its going to be a matter of the small things: who can limit their turnovers and rebound the basketball." ' ' '