Kyrie Irving scores 55 to lead Cavaliers past Trail Blazers

Kyrie Irving scored a career-high 55 points, breaking the arena record while LeBron James watched from the bench and leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to their eighth consecutive victory, 99-94 over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night at Cleveland.

Irving took over with James sidelined with a sprained right wrist. He made a three-pointer with 6.4 seconds left to break a 94-94 tie, grabbed a rebound off a missed three-pointer by Portland’s Damian Lillard, and as many in the crowd chanted “M-V-P” and James danced near the bench, Irving made two free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Irving made 17 of 36 shots and broke the scoring record at Quicken Loans Arena held by Allen Iverson. His point total was also the highest in the league this season, bettering the 52 scored by Golden State’s Klay Thompson and Minnesota’s Mo Williams.

Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge had 38 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort.

at Atlanta 113, Brooklyn 102: Paul Millsap had 28 points and 15 rebounds, five other Atlanta players scored in double figures, and the Hawks stretched their franchise-record winning streak to 17 games in a row. Atlanta (38-8) has won 31 of 33 and leads the Eastern Conference by a seven games.

at New York 100, Oklahoma City 92: Carmelo Anthony had 31 points and 10 rebounds, Lance Thomas scored a season-high 17 points against his former team and the Knicks overcame a 40-point game by the Thunder’s 40-point game to win for the fourth time in five games. Kevin Durant sat out because of a sprained left big toe.

at Philadelphia 89, Detroit 69: Robert Covington scored 19 points, Michael Carter-Williams had 14 points and 10 assists, and the 76ers ended a six-game losing streak. The Pistons have lost four in a row, and three since leading scorer Brandon Jennings ruptured his left Achilles’ in a 101-86 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday.

at Toronto 119, Sacramento 102: Lou Williams scored 27 points and the Raptors made a season-high 17 three-pointers in winning their fourth in a row. Rudy Gary scored 22 points for the Kings, who lost their seventh in a row.

at Houston 99, Dallas 94: Josh Smith scored 18 points and James Harden added 17 as the Rockets, playing without Dwight Howard, used a balanced scoring effort to hand the Mavericks their fourth loss in a row.

at Minnesota 110, Boston 98: Kevin Martin scored 21 points in his first game in more than two months and Gorgui Dieng added 16 points and 14 rebounds as the Timberwolves ended a 10-game losing streak at Target Center.

Denver 93, at New Orleans 85: Arron Afflalo scored 18 points, making four three-pointers, and the Nuggets ended a seven-game losing streak.

at San Antonio 95, Charlotte 86: Tony Parker scored 17 points and the Spurs overcame four-for-21 shooting in the third quarter on Coach Gregg Popovich’s 66th birthday.

at Phoenix 106, Washington 98: Goran Dragic scored 20 points to lead five Phoenix players in double figures and the Suns held on to beat the worn-out Wizards, who were playing their fourth game in five nights.

Clippers 94, at Utah 89