Boston Celtics (29-9) at Toronto Raptors (16-21), 12:30 p.m.

The struggling Boston Celtics will try to put the brakes on a season-high four-game losing streak Sunday when they close out a short road trip up north against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. Boston has dropped four in a row and seven of nine since ripping off a team record 19 consecutive wins. In Friday's 98-83 loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena, Kevin Garnett tallied 18 points and 15 rebounds for the defending NBA champions. The four-game skid is the longest for Boston since dropping seven straight from...read full article

What we learned: Celtics-Cavaliers

With a little over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the game no longer in doubt, a demonstrative Kevin Garnett huddled with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Sam Cassell on the Celtics bench. The topic: how to get the team out of the worst funk The Big Three have experienced in their 1½ years together. "We were trying to work things out," Cassell said. "Trying to regroup. We're tired of talking about it. This [(expletive] is getting old now. We're tired of excuses. This is what we have in our locker room right here. Hakeem...read full article

NBA: Cleveland 98, Boston 83

LeBron James, responding to the challenge posed by the defending NBA champions, scored 38 points Friday in leading the Cleveland Cavaliers past Boston 98-83. It was the fourth time this season James has scored at least 38 and it came in one of the highlight contests to date in the NBA season. Boston appeared headed for the best record in the Eastern Conference this year when it put together a franchise-record 19-game winning streak, but the Celtics have lost seven times in their lasts nine outings. This was their fourth straight setback. Cleveland...read full article

Too much James, too little Celts

They circled this game on their calendar months ago. On Friday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers checked it off as another win. Their biggest in a season getting special. LeBron James scored 38 points, harassed Paul Pierce all over the floor and strengthened his case to be the league's MVP front-runner as the Cavaliers, playing with a bottled-up intensity reserved for the playoffs, improved to 19-0 at home by beating the staggering Boston Celtics, 98-83. James scored 23 points in the second half. He added seven rebounds, six assists, four steals, three blocks...read full article

Cavaliers vs Celtics Highlights

Pumped-up LeBron James leads Cavaliers over Celtics

For days, LeBron James insisted that facing the NBA champions in January was no ordinary regular-season game. He and the Cleveland Cavaliers proved it Friday night, beating the Boston Celtics, 98-83, in a game filled with playoff-like intensity. James scored 38 points, harassed Paul Pierce all over the floor and continued to make his case for the league's most valuable player as the Cavaliers improved to 19-0. James scored 23 in the second half. He added seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks. After the Cavaliers had built their lead to...read full article

Celtics, Cavaliers ready to rumble

As little LeBron James Jr. practiced writing his name on the dry-erase board in Cleveland's locker room, his famous father was busy a few feet away. The Boston Celtics were on the flatscreen TV and LeBron James was watching them, studying them, breaking them down. Stepping away from his work, the youngster examined his penmanship. "Daddy, my 'n' looks like a 'w'," he said. On Friday night, his father wouldn't mind seeing a different 'W.' The Cavaliers, owners of the Eastern Conference's best record and the league's only unbeaten team at home, will host...read full article

James, Cavaliers, set for rematch with Celtics

When the NBA champion Celtics take the court in Cleveland on Friday night, LeBron James expects to see the Boston team that opened the season 27-2, not the one that has lost six of its last eight games. "It's not the end of the world. They've lost a few. They'll get it together," James said. "I bet they won't come in here on Friday sluggish." After scoring 21 points in Cleveland's 111-81 home victory over Charlotte on Wednesday night, James gave a running commentary as he watched the final minutes of Boston's 89-85 loss to Houston on television. The...read full article

NBA notebook

Memphis waived forward Darius Miles, who was trying to make a comeback after a two-year absence following knee surgery. Miles was cut by the Boston Celtics in the preseason and signed with Memphis on Dec. 13. The 27-year-old also served a 10-game league suspension after his signing for violating the league's drug policy. Miles holds career averages of 10.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.15 blocks in 27.6 minutes in 414 career games with Memphis, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers. SPURS - San Antonio Spurs waived reserve forward Anthony Tolliver. Tolliver played in 19 games for the Spurs, averaging 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds. The rookie from Creighton played only nine minutes in the last two games for San Antonio. LAKERS - Tests showed Lamar Odom's right knee injury...read full article

NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

It's been two weeks since the last edition of my power rankings, where the East's mighty trio of Boston, Cleveland and Orlando took the top three spots. But that was last year, and now that 2008 has come and gone, it's time for a new leader: the Lakers. There was plenty of repositioning elsewhere as well, including the Detroit Pistons re-entering the top-10 for the first time since mid-November.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-5) - Technically the Lakers are still a half-game behind the Celtics for the NBA's best record, but after L.A. beat Boston pretty convincingly on Christmas Day, then downed both Utah and Portland by double digits, there's no question who should be #1.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (27-6) - LeBron couldn't rally the Cavs past the Heat last week on his birthday despite dropping 24 of his 38 in the second half, and I can...read full article

Celtics, Cavs downed by teams at bottom of East

LeBron James didn't agree with the traveling call that helped prevent his Cleveland Cavaliers from beating lowly Washington. A loss to the struggling New York Knicks leaves little doubt Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics are stumbling atop the Eastern Conference. James was whistled for taking an extra step while driving for a potential tying layup with 2.3 seconds left, and Cleveland lost 80-77 to the host Wizards on Sunday despite wiping out a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter. "Bad call," said James, who had 30 points, 10 assists and...read full article