CLEVELAND -- Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers best performance of the season brought an end to the Denver Nuggets seven

CLEVELAND -- Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers best performance of the season brought an end to the Denver Nuggets seven-game winning streak. Michael Ola Jersey . Irving scored 23 points and the Cavaliers won back-to-back games for the first time this season with a 98-88 victory over Denver Wednesday night. Tristan Thompson had a career-high 21 rebounds and 17 points for Cleveland, which handed Denver its first loss since Nov. 18. The Nuggets played the third game of a six-game road trip, which began with a 14-point win in Toronto on Sunday and a 24-point victory in Brooklyn on Tuesday. "They just whupped us tonight," Denver coach Brian Shaw said. "They looked like the fresher team and they were quicker to the punch." Randy Foye led Denver with 16 points, while J.J. Hickson had 15 points and 11 rebounds, but the Nuggets couldnt contend with Clevelands balanced attack. Anderson Varejao scored a season-high 18 points and had 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who recorded their largest margin of victory this season. While the Nuggets have been one the leagues hottest teams, the Cavaliers have struggled to adjust to new coach Mike Browns system. Cleveland already has lost seven games by double figures, but a win over Chicago on Saturday and its latest victory produced some confidence. "Winning is the thing that cures everything," Brown said. "We came out aggressive on both ends of the floor and thats what coach Brown has been preaching," Irving said. "Its paying dividends. It starts with the way we practice and carries over into games." Denver trailed by 12 points in the second quarter, but finished the first half on a 10-2 run and cut the lead to two early in the third period. The Nuggets got no closer, however, as the Cavaliers stretched the lead to double figures. The margin reached 13 early in the fourth. Andrew Bynum, coming off his best game of the season, had 14 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes. The 7-footer had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocked shots Saturday against the Bulls in a 97-93 win. Bynum, Thompson and Varejao combined for 41 of Clevelands 58 rebounds. "They were monsters in the pick-and-roll," Brown said. "They were monsters on the glass. They were monsters around the rim. It was awesome to watch." Thompson had nine rebounds in nine minutes in the first quarter. He had 11 points and 13 rebounds in the first half. "Tristan Thompson had his season averages at halftime," Shaw said. "This was a good lesson for our bigs. When youre playing against bigger guys like him and Bynum, youve got to put a body on them." Despite being 6-12, the Cavaliers havent fallen too far from the pack in the Eastern Conference, where only Indiana and Miami are over .500. "Thats the good thing about being in the East right now and Im sure every other team feels the same, but we truly believe we havent played our best basketball," Brown said. "Contrary to what anybody believes I do feel like were getting better." Nate Robinson scored 14 points and Wilson Chandler added 13 for the Nuggets. Denver got off to a slow start playing its third game in four nights. The Cavaliers led by seven points on several occasions in the first quarter and stretched the lead to 12 in the second. Cleveland led 54-42 with 1:51 remaining in the second, but Denver scored 10 of the halfs final 12 points, highlighted by Lawsons three-point play, a 3-pointer by Foye and four points by Darrell Arthur. Lawsons basket accounted for his first points of the game. He came into Wednesday averaging a team-high 20.2 points, but finished with four points on 1-of-13 shooting. "I feel like I missed all easy shots," said Lawson, who had 11 assists. "I aint never shot 1 for 13 before in my life." Bynum was given a flagrant foul for hitting Hickson in the shoulder in the third quarter while the Denver forward was driving to the basket. The Nuggets had won six of the previous seven meetings with the Cavaliers and three straight on the road. Denver reserve centre Timofey Mozgov had eight points and three rebounds in 17 minutes one night after grabbing a career-high 20 rebounds to go with 17 points against the Nets. He totalled 33 points and 35 rebounds against Brooklyn and Toronto. NOTES: Robinson played despite re-injuring his right wrist Tuesday. X-rays after the game were negative. Robinson shot a free throw left-handed against the Nets. ... Robinson was given a technical in the second quarter after a foul wasnt called when he was knocked to the floor while taking a shot. ... Nuggets G Andre Miller was hit with a technical in the third quarter. ... Cleveland G Dion Waiters, who had scored at least 20 points in each of his last three games, had five points and six assists. ... Denvers road trip continues against Boston on Friday. Terron Armstead Jersey . The 48th-ranked Williams made her first appearance in Dubai since she won her second straight title here in 2010. Shed missed the last three years either because of injury or Sjogrens Syndrome. Nick Easton Jersey . Portland won Game 4 Sunday night at the Moda Center and are now up 3-1. The last time the Blazers won a playoff series came in the 2000 Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz. http://www.customsaintsjersey.com/custom-zach-strief-jersey-large-1772e.html . Darren Collison and Blake Griffin scored 23 points apiece and the Clippers beat the Suns 112-108 Wednesday night, their fourth win in a row and 17th in the last 19 games. PITTSBURGH -- Jonathan Pettibone pitched neatly into the sixth inning, and the Philadelphia Phillies snapped the Pittsburgh Pirates nine-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory Tuesday night. The surprising Pirates missed out on a chance to win 10 in a row for the first time since 2004, but the NL Central leaders still have the major leagues best record at 51-31. Phillies slugger Ryan Howard ended an 0-for-22 slump -- 12 strikeouts -- with an RBI single in a three-run sixth to open the games scoring. Howard and Michael Young each had two hits for Philadelphia, which scored all of its runs against Pirates rookie spot starter Brandon Cumpton. Pettibone (4-3) won for the first time since May 14 -- a span of nine starts -- by limiting Pittsburghs offence to Garrett Jones homer in the sixth. In 5 2-3 innings, Pettibone gave up three hits. The rookie right-hander was lifted after Jones shot, his eighth of the season. Philadelphias much-maligned bullpen repeatedly worked around trouble for 3 1-3 scoreless innings to finish off the Phillies second win over their past five games. Cumpton (0-1) got the ball because Jeff Locke was forced to warm up in the bullpen during the 14th inning Sunday. Jake Diekman got the final out of the sixth and Phillippe Aumont survived four well-hit balls to pitch a scoreless seventh. J.R. Ramirez, Antonio Bastardo and Justin De Fratus worked around two walks and a single in the eighth. Jonathan Papelbon improved to 16 for 20 in save situations with a perfect ninth. But little else during the victory came easy for the Phillies, who began the day 9 1-2 games back in the National League East. Philadelphia relievers, who entered Tuesday with the worst ERA in the NL, allowed six baserunners over the 2 1-3 innings not pitched by closer Papelbon. LaRoi Glover Jersey. . None scored, though. De Fratus stuck out Jordy Mercer swinging with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth. After four baserunners reached through five, Cumpton ran into trouble during the sixth inning for the second time over his three career major league starts. Domonic Brown followed Howards RBI single with a sacrifice fly and Delmon Young made it 3-0 when he doubled in Howard. Those were the first earned runs allowed by Pittsburgh pitchers over a span of 22 1-3 innings. Before the sixth inning Tuesday, the Pirates had allowed one earned run over the prior 36 frames. NOTES: The Pirates optioned INF Josh Harrison to Triple-A Indianapolis to make roster room for Cumpton. ... Pittsburgh had won 10 of its 11 previous games started by fill-in starters Cumpton, RHP Jeanmar Gomez and RHP Phil Irwin. ... Locke will start Wednesdays game, RHP Gerrit Cole starts Thursday and Gomez will return to the bullpen for the Pirates. ... Pittsburgh RHP A.J. Burnett, on the disabled list since June 13 because of a right calf strain, threw a simulated game Tuesday. ... Phillies RHP Kyle Kendrick will make his next scheduled start Saturday at home against the Atlanta Braves. Kendrick was evaluated Tuesday in Pittsburgh and cleared two days after sustaining a concussion after being hit in the head with a pitch. ... Locke allowed two hits over six shutout innings of a 2-0 win at Philadelphia on April 23. LHP John Lannan, who starts Wednesday for the Phillies, is 1-4 in his career against the Pirates. ' ' '