the Deacons forced at least three turnovers. Bat

Two teams heading in opposite directions meet Friday when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Dallas Mavericks. The Cavaliers own the best record in the Eastern Conference and are coming off a historic performance Wednesday, while the Mavericks have lost seven straight for the first time since 1999 -- Dirk Nowitzkis rookie season.The Cavaliers set an area record for a regular-season game by scoring 137 points in Wednesdays win against the Portland Trail Blazers, the most points any Cleveland team has scored since dropping 141 on Charlotte in 1992.Kevin Love was a big reason why. His 34 points in the first quarter Wednesday are the second-most points scored by one player in a quarter in NBA history, trailing only Klay Thompsons 37-point outburst against the Sacramento Kings during the 2014-15 season. Love only took six shots the rest of the night Wednesday, highlighting his recurring problem. No matter how well he plays, he rarely gets to touch the ball in the second half.Still, Love is more comfortable in this system now than he has ever been and a large reason for that is head coach Tyronn Lue, who made it a point of emphasis to get Love into his comfort zone earlier in games. The first play every game is designed to be a look for Love in the post, Lue revealed. Love kept reiterating throughout his first season in Cleveland that he is most effective when he gets a couple post touches early before working his way to the 3-point line. He was largely ignored, however, until Lue took over midway through last season and began listening to him.I didnt do anything magical, Lue said. Hes playing great ... Just try to get him the ball when he has matchups or just keep him involved, keep him engaged.The Cavaliers rank third in the league in scoring (110.8 points per game), they lead the league in 3-pointers per game (13.5) and theyve made at least 10 3s in every game this season -- an NBA record they continue to extend.The Mavericks, meanwhile, have been reeling from injuries and are in the midst of a brutal stretch in the schedule.Nowitzki is back after missing eight games with an Achilles injury, but he has played in four of Dallas first 16 games. Deron Williams has missed the last four games with a calf injury that has limited him to just 10 minutes over the last eight games.As our health gets better, were going to have a chance to make it better, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. But were going to have to make it better.Williams should be back soon, but the fear now is that the Mavericks hole is already to deep to escape. The game against the Cavaliers concludes a wicked 96 hours when they faced the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Clippers and now Cleveland.Weve been worried about that (record), Williams told the Dallas Morning News. Were, what, (2-12)? Thats tough in the West. Thats definitely a concern of ours, for sure. Youd be lying to say it wasnt. Its something were definitely conscious of, and we got to turn around. Grayson Allen Jersey . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. Cheap Jazz Jerseys . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. http://www.cheapjazzjerseys.com/ . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. Cheap NBA Jerseys . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. Cheap Jazz Jerseys Authentic . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The noise from the postgame celebration echoed well outside Wake Forests locker room into the adjacent space where reporters waited to talk to coach Dave Clawson and his players.And who could blame the Demon Deacons for their exuberance? It was the first time any of the players on this roster had enjoyed the feeling of securing bowl eligibility.Wake Forest (6-3, 3-2 ACC) took advantage of two fourth quarter interceptions thrown by Virginias Kurt Benkert, with safety Jessie Bates returning the latter 39 yards for the winning touchdown with 6:47 remaining, as the Deacons defeated UVA 27-20 on Saturday.The victory secured bowl eligibility for Wake Forest for the first time since 2011, when the Deacons lost to Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl.Weve got some kids who have really busted their butts, put a lot into this program, for three, four, five years, Clawson said. People say, `Why do you coach? You can ask my wife. I dont sleep. Why do you do this to yourself? The high of enjoying moments like that is why you keep going at it. Theres no feeling in the world like getting to share that with your team. Thats what keeps you going.The team had its stalwart defense to thank, as the pair of fourth quarter picks directly led to 10 of Wake Forests points. Cameron Glenn returned the first interception 41 yards to set up a short Mike Weaver field goal, which tied it at 20-all.It took just three more plays for the Deacons defense to generate another turnover, as Benkert was flushed from the pocket and threw a panicked pass across his body into a host of black-clad defenders. Bates secured the interception and needed only a couple of blocks to find space along the home sideline and get into the end zone.Sometimes youre going to get sacked, Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said. Its sometimes better to take the sack than deliver the ball in traffic. (Benkert) was trying so hard to extend plays, and I applaud him for that. He doesnt have to do it all by himself.The teams traded momentum through the first three quarters. Jordan Ellis 6-yard touchdown run punctuating a 75-yard game-opening drive for Virginia.But Wake Forest took control soon after, as quarterback John Wolford scored on a 64-yard touchdown run. A Weaver field goal and a short touchdown pass to Cam Serigne just before halftime gave the Deacons a 17-6 lead at the break.But Virginia (2-7, 1-4) rallied in the third quarter, as Benkert threw a 2-yard scoring toss to Doni Dowling. The Cavaliers then recovered an onside kick, and later took tthe lead when Benkert scrambled long enough to find an open Taquan Mizzell for a 45-yard touchdown pass to make it 20-17.ddddddddddddts not always pretty. Its not how you script it, Clawson said. But we ran for more than 200 yards, our defense played really well, and we got a fourth quarter comeback to get to six wins.THE TAKEAWAY:Wake Forest: The Deacons ground game paved the way for their offensive success. Wake Forest eschewed all pretense of play-calling balance in the early stages; Wolford didnt attempt a pass in the first quarter. The Cavaliers defense simply could not stop the ground game, as Wolford combined with running backs Cade Carney and Matt Colburn for 130 rushing yards on 14 carries by the end of the quarter, including Wolfords 64-yard scoring run.I was feeling pretty fast, Wolford said. I just didnt want to fumble. That was my whole thought process, so if I felt anyone get close, I was gonna go two hands (on the ball). I was able to pull away. Its always fun to get those big runs, because people dont expect it.Virginia: The loss ensured the Cavaliers would finish with a losing record for the fifth consecutive season. Their last bowl appearance, like Wake Forest, came in 2011, when they lost to Auburn 43-24 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.ILL TAKE THAT:Wake Forests defense forced three turnovers, and the Deacons scored 17 of their 27 points on the possessions which immediately followed those takeaways. It was the fourth time this season that the Deacons forced at least three turnovers. Bates interception was his fifth of the season, good enough for second in the ACC, and his second return for a touchdown of the year.The difference in the game today was Wake Forest took the ball away three times, and we didnt take it away, Mendenhall said. There might be other story lines that branch off from there, but really you can trace that to being the difference in the game.UP NEXT:Wake Forest: The Deacons will play their final road game of the season next Saturday when they travel to No. 5 Louisville. Wake Forest has not beaten a nationally-ranked opponent since knocking off then-No. 22 Florida State 35-30 in 2011, and it has not beaten a team ranked in the top 5 since a 1946 win at then-No. 4 Tennessee.Virginia: The Cavaliers return to Charlottesville to host Miami next Saturday. That will be UVAs final home game before ending the season with trips to Georgia Tech and rival Virginia Tech ' ' '