NEW YORK -- Giving up a big run no longer means giving up for the Brooklyn Nets. The team that not long ago was accused by its coach of accepting losing is now showing a willingness to fight. "Were not buckling, were not getting down, have a bad stretch and lets give in," centre Andray Blatche said. "Were fighting and were competing." Deron Williams scored 21 points, Paul Pierce added 17 while moving past Allen Iverson into 19th place on the NBAs career scoring list, and the Nets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 89-82 on Saturday night. Blatche had 12 points in his return from a four-game absence as the Nets won their second straight, just their second winning streak of the season. They limited a Cleveland team playing without star guard Kyrie Irving to 37 per cent shooting -- 19 per cent in the final period -- and matched their best defensive performance of the season. "Hes our best player, especially when it comes to scoring the basketball. So you miss his 22 points a game," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "But I give our guys credit. They competed in the second half. We had a chance to win it. We took the lead, we just couldnt hold on. You miss a guy of his capabilities especially down the stretch in situations like this." Reggie Evans had eight points and 11 rebounds for the Nets while starting in place of Kevin Garnett, who was given a night to rest with the Nets beginning a stretch of five games in eight days. The Nets gave up a double-digit lead with another poor third quarter, which has been a season-long problem. Only this time, they shook it off with a strong fourth, holding Cleveland to 4-of-21 shooting. "Normally a third-quarter run on us tends to be a downfall, but tonights game was a positive," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. "Guys stayed together. We got stops and then we executed on the other end." Dion Waiters scored 26 points for the Cavaliers, who played without Irving for the second straight game because of his bruised left knee. They beat Orlando in overtime on Thursday but didnt have nearly enough firepower in this one, losing for the seventh time in eight games. "Its not frustrating," Waiters said. "We win four or five big games, were right back in the playoff hunt. I mean, dont get me wrong, the East is just not doing good." Coming off a 95-93 victory at Oklahoma City on Joe Johnsons jumper at the buzzer, the Nets returned to Brooklyn to open their longest homestand of the season, a four-game stretch that turns tougher with visits from Atlanta, Golden State and Miami. They welcomed back Blatche, who missed the previous four games for personal reasons and had consecutive baskets early in the fourth when the Nets took control for good by scoring seven straight points to open a nine-point cushion. Pierce came in two points behind Iverson, who retired earlier this season, and now has 24,383 points since entering the league as the No. 10 pick in the 1998 draft. "Its just a tribute to my longevity, just being able to stay healthy, continue to work on my craft and playing with a lot of good teammates over the years," Pierce said. Evans was 3 for 4 for eight points in the first quarter, surpassing his season high of five points and helping the Nets take a 22-17 lead. It grew to 48-34 when Williams capped a 13-3 spurt with a 3-pointer with 1:51 left in the half, and Brooklyn was ahead 51-38 at the break. But the Nets managed one basket during a span of nearly 9 minutes of the third quarter, while the Cavaliers outscored them 20-4 to take a 61-58 edge on Matthew Dellavedovas 3-pointer with 1:51 remaining. Brooklyn regrouped to take a 67-65 advantage to the fourth. C.J. Miles scored 19 for Cleveland but shot 6 of 19. Notes: Nets centre Brook Lopez had surgery Saturday on his broken right foot. Besides repairing the fractured fifth metatarsal, surgeons also repositioned another bone. Nets medical director Dr. Riley Williams III said in a statement that part of the procedure "lessens the stress on the fractured bone, and decreases the likelihood of re-injury in the future." Lopez was averaging a team-high 20.7 points when he broke the foot for the second time in three seasons on Dec. 20. Clearance NCAA Jerseys . None of them was better than playing with LeBron James again. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys China . Ibrahimovic put PSG ahead when he got in front of his marker to neatly flick in Lucass cross in the 59th minute. New signing Yohan Cabaye came on as a second-half substitute and headed Ezequiel Lavezzis cross against the post in the 87th. Moments later, Lucas set up another goal from the right when fellow countryman Alex turned in his corner with a strikers finish. https://www.chinajerseysncaa.us/ . 25 against Miami. Hillis left Browns Stadium about two hours before kickoff, a decision that has led to speculation he was upset over ongoing negotiations with the club on a contract extension. Custom NCAA Jerseys . On Thursday theyll learn even more. Despite the cloud of uncertainty that has followed them around from the moment general manager Masai Ujiri was brought in to put his stamp on the franchise, the Raptors have surpassed all pre-season expectations. Cheap Basketball College Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla.Like the flowers and blossoms suddenly appearing on a sunny spring day in Vancouver, the Whitecaps young guns are themselves starting to bloom. On Tuesday afternoon, a group of (dont call them reserve) players who didnt feature in the 2-1 win over Houston, took care of business against an FC Edmonton team preparing for its NASL campaign. Throughout the afternoon, the Whitecap squad averaged a tender 20.8 years of age. That number was brought up by 26-year-old Carlyle Mitchell, and 25-year-old goalkeeper Paulo Tornaghi. Had 17-year-old Marco Carducci started in goal, the average age might have dropped into the teens. But as they say in the game, "if youre good enough, youre old enough", and the young Caps proved it with a sterling performance going forward, scoring three goals in the first 17 minutes. They also held their nerve defensively against a big, physical Colin Miller-coached team that will be trying to join the NASL elite in 2014. The culture of competition that Carl Robinson has built is starting to permeate through the residency program, which Gordon Forrest helps oversee in addition to his first team assistant coaching duties. That common thread, and the managers desire to connect the entire club, is starting to bear fruit in the form of players like Marco Bustos, Kianz Froeze, Mitch Peraux, and a more recent revelation, Nicholas Prasad.dddddddddddd The 18-year-old Surrey native stepped into an unfamiliar right back spot over his more natural centre back role, and didnt put a foot wrong in his 45 minutes of work. It was a side that wouldnt look out of place against MLS competition, when you consider that Mitchell, Johnny Leveron, Kekuta Manneh and Eric Hurtado have all seen first team spells in their young careers. The Whitecaps depth will come in handy during next months Amway Canadian Championship for the Voyageurs Cup, a competition the Whitecaps have yet to win in their MLS era. Despite a small sample size, youd have to think Vancouver would be considered favourites to finally win it at this stage. If they do represent Canada in CONCACAF, the club could easily send a young squad to play the group qualifying games. This would not leave their first teams regular season endeavours severely hamstrung, as weve seen from so many CCL campaigns in the past. For now, the youngsters will have to keeping pushing and competing until the opportunity presents itself. But as in springtime, when the fruit starts to ripen, its only a matter of time until it gets picked. ' ' '