CLEVELAND -- The Raptors arent officially in the NBA playoffs. They dont look ready for them, either. Dion Waiters scored 24 points, Luol Deng added 19 and the Cleveland Cavaliers prevented Toronto from getting closer to a post-season spot with a 102-100 win over the sloppy Raptors on Tuesday night. Toronto fell behind by 21 points in the third quarter, and then battled back to take a 95-94 lead. But the Raptors fell apart in the final minutes. With their fourth loss in six games, the Raptors dropped one-half game behind Chicago for the No. 3 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. "We gotta get back to who we are," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said in disgust. "Its easy to get up for OKC, Miami and Indiana, but the other teams are playing for something too, which is pride. That can be even more dangerous." Despite playing without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, who missed his fifth straight game with a strained biceps tendon, the Cavs were able to hold on and snap a five-game losing streak at home. "It was a good win by our guys," coach Mike Brown said. "Thats a playoff team. They were playing good basketball. In a game like that, maybe earlier in the season we might have lost, especially coming down the stretch when a team makes a run against us. Our guys found a way to win." Kyle Lowry scored 22 and Terrence Ross had 16 for the Raptors, who had a chance to tie it in the final seconds but guard Greivis Vasquez lost his footing and committed a turnover with 1.9 seconds left. "I was trying to spin and I lost my balance," Vasquez said. "It was just a bad play for me. It was me going to my weak hand and I lost my balance, stepped kind of weird. I turned the ball over. Ill take responsibility. Im not going to run away. Im a man. I wish I could be in that position again so we have another opportunity tomorrow (at Boston)." Toronto took a 95-94 lead on Vasquezs 3-pointer with 6:45 remaining, but the Raptors went just 1 of 9 from the floor and scored five points the rest of the way. Tristan Thompson added 15 points and 13 rebounds and Jarret Jack had 13 points for Cleveland, which kept its faint playoff hopes alive. The Cavs trail idle Atlanta by 4 1/2 games for the No. 8 playoff slot. The Raptors may be closing in on their first post-season appearance since 2008, but the Atlantic Division leaders looked out of sorts at both ends. They fought back from a big deficit, but fell apart with the game on the line. Toronto missed three free throws in the final 4:26, but still had a chance to force overtime or possibly steal their 40th win after forcing a Cleveland turnover on an errant inbounds pass with 7.8 seconds to go. But Vasquez, who finished with 16 points, drove the left side and slipped about 10 feet from the basket. As he fell, Vasquez flung the ball in desperation and it was intercepted on the right side by Deng. Vasquez remained on the floor for a few seconds grabbing his ankle before he limped off the court. "It was a handoff to Greivis to turn the corner," Casey said. "I thought he turned it pretty well and his ankle went out on him. But one play was not when we lost that game. The game was decided with the way we played in the first quarter." However, Toronto didnt execute when it needed to and lost to a Cleveland team playing for nothing more than pride. At least the Cavs overcame their own mistakes, something theyve rarely done during this disappointing season. "We just stayed with it," Waiters said. "We didnt get rattled and made plays when we needed to." Clevelands offence was clicking early on. The Cavs recorded assists on eight of their first 10 buckets, opened a 14-point lead in the first quarter and pushed their advantage to 18 in the second. Toronto made three 3-pointers -- the Raptors had eight 3s in the first half -- in a span of 1:27 to climb within 49-40, but Cleveland regrouped and led 59-45 at halftime. NOTES: The Cavs are 12-11 since Feb. 7. ... Toronto was just 16 of 26 from the line. ... Irving rode a stationary bike on the side as the Cavs went through their morning shootaround. Afterward, Irving looked good doing some shooting drills. Brown said Irving is "closer" to returning, but its not guaranteed the third-year pro will play again this season. ... Raptors F Patrick Patterson (right ulnar collateral sprain) missed his 10th consecutive game. He was cleared to resume contact practices Monday. Ryan Bertrand England Jersey . 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Ladd tied the game at 4-4 with 1:43 remaining on a quick shot from the left circle with Blake Wheeler screening goalie Antti Niemi. Marouane Fellaini Belgium Jersey . The stadium was filled with the sound of woofing.Felt like times from way, way back when.And with a dominating performance, the Browns suggested theyve finally made it all the way back.NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The NBA is refuting a Globe and Mail report that suggested the league offered to drop a tampering fine issued to the Toronto Raptors if the team removed Drakes title of global brand ambassador. The league recently fined the team after Drake, a popular Toronto rapper, let Oklahoma Citys Kevin Durant know he was wanted in Canada during a concert that the Thunder star attended earlier this month. During the performance, Drake shouted to his hometown crowd to show the leagues MVP what it would be like if he came to play for the Raptors, causing a loud ovation. "As the Raptors global ambassador, Drake must follow our anti-tampering rules," Tim Frank, the leagues senior vice-president of basketball communications, said in an email to The Canadian Press on Wednesday. "At no point did we suggest his title be removed but we were clear that as long as he acted as a representative of the team, he is subject to the leagues rules." On stage at a concert in Toronto, Drake addressed Durant and encouraged the fans to appplaud the Oklahoma City Thunder star to show him what crowd reaction could be like in the city.dddddddddddd "You know, my brother Kevin Durant was kind enough to come to the show tonight and watch us," said Drake from the stage at Torontos Molson Amphitheatre. "I just want him to see what would happen if he came to play in Toronto. Let him know what would happen." Durant can become a free agent after the 2015-16 season. He has spent his entire career with the Thunder franchise. The Raptors declined comment Wednesday. Drake, who grew up a Raptors fan and calls some of the leagues biggest stars his close friends, was formally introduced as the global brand ambassador of Canadas lone NBA team last September. At the time, he said he travels the world preaching the "gospel that is Toronto," grew up following the Raptors, and called the Vince Carter era the source of his best basketball memories. Drake reportedly does not receive a salary from the Toronto Raptors for his position with the team. cheap nfl jerseys authentic jerseys nfl wholesale wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '
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