CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are headed toward the All-Star break on a high note. cheap nfl jerseys . So is Anthony Bennett, the much-maligned No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. As the Cavaliers avenged a 44-point loss to Sacramento with a 109-99 win over the Kings on Tuesday night, Bennett had 19 points and 10 rebounds -- both career highs -- in Clevelands third straight win. "Youre starting to see a little bit of what we see in practice and the reason why we drafted him," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "Hes a talented young man and hes starting to come to life a little bit. Hes even better than what you saw tonight." Former general manager Chris Grant, who was fired last week, was roundly criticized for taking Bennett with the first pick in June, but the rookie from UNLV has made major strides after being a non-factor until mid-January. "Anthony Bennett kicked our butt," Kings coach Michael Malone said. "Im sure Chris Grant is smiling at home -- and deservedly so -- because that was his No. 1 pick." Bennett was smiling, too. Asked when the last time he had fun playing basketball he said, "I dont remember, but today was one of those days." Bennett hit two 3-pointers in a little over a minute in the second quarter and scored 11 points in the first half. His 3-pointer with 4:40 left in the game gave Cleveland a 100-85 advantage. Bennett was aggressive going to the basket -- going to the line nine times. Bennett had shoulder surgery before the draft and didnt play in the summer league. He adjusted slowly once the season began, and his minutes were limited when he played. That has changed. "It feels great," Bennett said. "All the hard work Ive put in with the players and coaching staff is paying off." Brown began giving him playing time last month after he showed progress in practice. "Its not anything that all of a sudden happened overnight," Brown said. "Hes a good basketball player. He can pass it. He can shoot it. He can run the floor. He can finish in traffic. He can rebound." Luol Deng led the Cavaliers with 22 points, and Dion Waiters added 20. The Cavaliers, beaten 124-80 in Sacramento on Jan. 12, took a double-figure lead early in the second quarter and were in control the remainder of the game. Cleveland has won three in a row for the second time this season. Cleveland also won three straight from Dec. 7-13. The Cavaliers will go for a season-high, four-game winning streak in their final game before the All-Star break on Wednesday at Detroit. Cleveland has won all three games since Grant was fired. DeMarcus Cousins scored 21 points to lead the Kings, who have lost 10 of 12 and seven straight on the road. The Cavaliers built a 67-49 lead in the third quarter. The Kings cut their deficit to seven points early in the fourth, but Cleveland went on a 7-0 run, sparked by Kyrie Irvings 3-pointer, to go ahead 91-77. Irving, who was 3 of 14 with seven points in the first meeting, had 13 points and six assists. The Cavaliers broke a three-game losing streak against the Kings. Cousins, taking advantage of a matchup with Cleveland centre Tyler Zeller, had 11 points and six rebounds in the first quarter. The Cavaliers played without starting centre Anderson Varejao, who missed the game with a sore back. Cousins didnt score again in the half. The Cavaliers used a combination of Zeller, Tristan Thompson and Henry Sims in an attempt to neutralize Cousins, who was averaging 22.7 points going into the game. The 6-foot-11 centre attempted only two more shots the rest of the game and was 11 of 16 from the foul line. "The effort wasnt there," Cousins said. "It was just bad overall. I dont really have an answer, but whatever it is, it needs to be fixed. After the All-Star break, well start fresh, which is what we need right now." Tristan Thompson had 16 points and 13 points for the Cavaliers. Isaiah Thomas scored 16 points, and Rudy Gay added 14 for the Kings. Sacramento has dropped the first three games of a four-game trip that ends Wednesday against New York. The Kings are 6-19 on the road. C.J. Miles (sore right foot) also missed the game for Cleveland. NOTES: Asked to describe Varejaos injury, Brown said, "With Andy, its his back and really his whole body that is sore, so it will be good to get him some rest, but obviously, you hope that its not a long-term thing." ... Varejao wont travel to Detroit ... Malone spent five seasons as an assistant under Brown with the Cavaliers from 2005-10. ... Thomas and Kings F Jason Thompson each picked up two fouls in the first quarter. Thompson committed his third foul 34 seconds into the third quarter and was scoreless for the game. cheap jerseys . The team said they will announce a corresponding roster move prior to their series opener on Tuesday night in Kansas City. wholesale jerseys . Commissioner Roger Goodell also appointed Dave Gardi to senior vice-president of football operations. The moves were announced Wednesday.TORONTO - With a mischievous look glued to his face, Kyle Lowry listened intently from the neighbouring locker as DeMar DeRozan spoke with the media after Sunday nights win. Making faces in the background and chiming in with the occasional one-liner, Lowry attempted to distract his teammate, to little success. DeRozan was coming off another remarkable performance, scoring an efficient 32 points in Torontos impressive 104-98 bounce-back victory over the Warriors. As the Raptors all-star guard was informed that he had just exceeded 30 points for the fourth time in the last six games, Lowry expressed his admiration, shouting "damn". "Whatever I say about Kyle is an understatement," said DeRozan. "We go off him to be honest, man. Thats a hell of a player right there. Hes the reason why Im getting 30 points." Lowry, still lurking next to the scrum, let out a high-pitched and playful "awwww". This exchange was not unusual. Often following a win, the Raptors backcourt duo can be found sharing a laugh in the locker room but the bond theyve developed is especially beneficial after a loss. Once Dwane Casey has finished addressing his team and the players return to their respective lockers, DeRozan and Lowry will usually break off to discuss the game, what went wrong and how to correct it. Their friendship is not put on and the chemistry that has been built this season, on and off the floor, has a lot to do with their individual and collective success. Lowrys fingerprints are all over DeRozans career year, and vice-versa. Together, they are the leaders of a team that genuinely enjoys going to battle for one another and it showed again on Sunday, as the Raptors toppled a formidable foe in the Warriors. Golden State was responsible for the Raptors lowest point of the season, a 27-point collapse in Oakland at the beginning of December. Toronto has lost only two games all year when leading after three quarters. They blew an 18-point fourth quarter advantage that night. &quuot;The way that we lost was definitely tough, we understood that coming into tonight," DeRozan said. wholesale nfl jerseys. "I think all the guys that were here [for it remembers that loss] because it sucks to lose like that." This time, at home and coming off a disappointing triple-overtime defeat, Toronto returned the favour. Trailing by three going into the final frame, the Raptors got 12 points from DeRozan as they outscored Golden State by nine in the fourth and earned their first win over the Warriors in eight tries with Stephen Curry in uniform. The Warriors guards - Curry and Klay Thompson - are the highest scoring backcourt pair in the NBA, with DeRozan and Lowry just behind them. Curry continued to give the Raptors fits, scoring a game-high 34 but Thompson was held to just 12. Playing some of the best basketball of his career over the last couple of weeks, DeRozan needed just 16 shots - hitting 10 - to collect his 32 points, facing an elite wing defender in Andre Iguodala. For the third straight game, the fifth-year guard made at least 12 trips to the free throw line, knocking down 11. Hes also recorded six assists in three consecutive contests, the first time hes done that in his career. "Coming in, I knew he was a good player," said John Salmons, one of DeRozans newest teammates. "I knew he could really score the ball. I knew he was athletic, but from afar, you never know how tough a guy is. He gets the best defensive guy guarding him every night. Guys that are known just for their defence. He still plays at a very high level, so I give him a lot of credit because he does it night in and night out. Thats not easy to do." "Hes growing every single game," said Lowry, who added 13 points and eight assists Sunday. "This season has been a remarkable one for him, hes an all-star. Anything I say about him, vice-versa, its an understatement." More than half of DeRozans 25 career 30-plus point games have come this season (13). ' ' '
