ORLANDO, Fla. -- At this point in the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers are hoping to make one last run at the playoffs and the Orlando Magic are looking for luck in the NBA draft lottery. Both improved their chances of reaching those goals Wednesday night as the Cavaliers beat the Magic 119-98 behind 26 points from Dion Waiters and 20 each from Spencer Hawes and Tristan Thompson. The easy win moved the Cavaliers within two games of New York and Atlanta for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs play at Atlanta Friday night. "This was a big game for us, but every game is big because of the position weve put ourselves in," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "There is nothing tricky that we have to do. We just have to out and play hard and give ourselves a chance." Waiters shot 10 for 15 from the field, including 3 for 3 on 3-pointers. "Weve still got a chance, we just need to take full advantage of it," he said. "We came in knowing we should get a win, but every game is hard. We have no choice at this point. We control our own destiny. Everybody knows what is at stake. We just have to stay focused." It helped the Cavaliers that All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving returned with a thump in his step after missing the last eight games with a torn bicep muscle. Irving had 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds in a seemless transition from the bench to the court. "Kyrie came in and got right in step with us," Brown said. "He helped us get the ball up the floor quickly and get into our attack. He gave us another weapon with a very high skill level." The Magic had little to be satisfied with other than solidifying their lottery spot with the third-worst record in the NBA. The Magic gave up 70 points in the first half, the best half all season for Cleveland and the most points Orlando has allowed in a half this year. "There is going to be a game in the course of the year where you just dont have it and when its coupled with a team like the Cavs who had it ... it just wasnt a good mix," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "Some days, its just not your day." The Magic placed only one starter, Maurice Harkless, in double figures and he had 10 points. Rookie Victor Oladipo led Orlando with 16 points, Doron Lamb had 14, Tobias Harris 11 and ETwaun Moore 10, all off the bench. "Terrible, terrible game," Harris said. "Its not how we wanted to play and that shows us that there is no effort." Every Cleveland player in uniform scored as the Cavs shot 60.5 per cent in the first half and 57.7 per cent for the game in rolling over a defenceless Magic team that lost its second straight. Cleveland was 9 for 18 from beyond the 3-point line, most of them wide-open looks as Orlando struggled with defensive rotations the entire game. Cleveland had four of the five starters already in double figures by halftime. Hawes was 6 for 8 in the first two periods, including 4 for 5 on 3-pointers on his way to 18 points. Thompson had 14, Irving 13 and Waiters 10 as the Cavaliers starters combined to hit 24 of 33 shots (72.7 per cent) in the first two quarters. Deng was the only starter not in double figures, but still shot 4 for 5. The Magic, by contrast, didnt have a player score more than six points in the first half. Orlando had 11 turnovers that Cleveland turned into 16 points. The Magic trailed 49-42 after Oladipos 3-pointer with 6:11 left in the second quarter, but got only one field goal the rest of the half and were outscored 21-6 as Cleveland rolled to a 70-47 halftime lead. The closest Orlando got in the second half was 17 when Arron Afflalos 3 with 4:11 left in the third quarter made it 82-65. Afflalo, the Magics leading scorer this season, finished with seven points. Cleveland responded with a 10-0 run that started with a floater in the lane by Jack and ended with two free throws by Thompson to make it 92-65. Cleveland led by as many 28 points and cruised through the fourth quarter with little effort. NOTES: Cavs C Anderson Varajeo sat out the game with a sore shoulder. ... Magic C Nikola Vucevic, who had three straight games scoring 20-plus points for the first time all season coming into the game, scored only seven. ... Cleveland has beaten Orlando seven straight times. ... The Magic are 1-18 this season when teams shoot over 50 per cent. Cleveland shot 57.7 per cent in the game. Stitched Pirates Jerseys . -- Brandon Hope stopped 46 shots and Kurtis MacDermid scored with 27 seconds remaining in overtime as the Owen Sound Attack edged the visiting Kingston Frontenacs 5-4 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Pittsburgh Pirates Store . Globo TV and other news outlets said early Monday that Scolari will not remain as coach after the national teams failure to win the World Cup at home. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/. General Manager Sam Presti said the three-time All-Star had knee swelling that would not subside, and the procedure was intended to solve the problem. He said doctors determined that a loose stitch was to blame for the swelling, that Westbrooks lateral meniscus has healed properly and the procedure was successful. Cheap Pirates Jerseys . Mladenovics quick hands at the net made the difference while Bencics inexperience in doubles showed. "We took a lot of pleasure," Mladenovic told Sport Plus television. "Its extremely difficult to play in such conditions, but our doubles team showed a lot of quality. Pittsburgh Pirates Pro Shop . The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when - after nearly two years - federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges.PORTLAND, Ore. -- Timbers coach Caleb Porter didnt stray from his business-like approach to the season even after Portland downed the two-time defending league champion Los Angeles Galaxy to gain crucial playoff position. "First thing I said was, Weve still got work to do," he said of his postgame address. The 1-0 victory Sunday solidified Portlands hold on third place in the Western Conference with a 12-5-13 record and four matches to go. Portland is undefeated in its last four matches as it continues its bid for its first post-season appearance since joining Major League Soccer in 2011. Maximiliano Urruti gave Portland the win with his first MLS goal, a deftly executed flick in the 52nd minute that fooled Los Angeles goalkeeper Jaime Penedo. Urruti was acquired by the Timbers this month from Toronto FC, which had signed him in August from Argentinas top division Newells Old Boys. Galaxy forward Robbie Keane appeared to score the equalizer early in stoppage time but he was called offsides. Both Keane and Landon Donovan had an animated argument with officials while coach Bruce Arena shouted from the sidelines. Arena also confronted the referees on the field after the match. Afterward, Arena was diplomatic. "Its close, obviously. If hes (the linesman) right, credit to him," Arena said. "Weve been in a lot of games this year where the plays arent even close and they dont have them right. So if he had it right, more credit to him." Los Angeles (13-11-6) remained in fourth place in the West with the loss. The Galaxy are winless in their last four matches.dddddddddddd. Donovan returned to Los Angeles starting lineup after nursing a sprained left ankle that kept him out of the teams last MLS match, a 1-1 draw against the Seattle Sounders last weekend. But his streak of either a goal or an assist in seven straight matches was snapped against the Timbers. He had a dangerous free kick from the side in the 74th minute, but it was headed away by Portland defender Pa-Modou Kah. The match was played in a nearly constant downpour with gusty wind as the remnants of a Pacific typhoon rolled through the region. And it looked as though it was weighing on both teams. The Timbers had just two shots on goal in the first half, compared to seven for the Galaxy. But Portland increasingly challenged Penedo after the break. Shortly after Urrutis goal, Rodney Wallace fired a hard shot at Penedo, who dove and deflected it with his fingertips. Urruti was making just his fifth appearance in a league match. He played in two matches for Toronto before coming to the Timbers. Portland was coming off a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids last weekend. "These last two games we knew were very important," Timbers defender Jack Jewsbury said. "A week ago they were ahead of us and we knew these were going to be crucial matches for us to be in the playoffs and try and position ourselves. We feel good about it, but theres still some work to do." The Timbers and Galaxy played to a scoreless draw in Los Angeles on June 19, and the Timbers earned a 2-1 victory in Portland on July 13. ' ' '