Cavs' skid hits 24 low

CLEVELAND (AP):

The losing streak has been long, painful and embarrassing.

Now it's historic.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the NBA's record for futility all to themselves.

Cleveland's losing streak reached 24 games on Saturday night as Wesley Matthews scored 31 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 111-105 win over the pitiful Cavs, who are yet to win in 2011 and have lost a mind-boggling 34 of 35.

With just one win since November 27, the Cavaliers now own the league's single-season mark for consecutive losses and have matched the record for overall losses in a row they previously set over 1981-82 and 1982-83.

"It feels like a bad dream," said guard Daniel Gibson.

And it's not over.

Cleveland nearly overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but once again failed to make plays down the stretch and fell to 8-42 - an almost unimaginable record for a team that won more than 60 games the past two seasons and went deep in the play-offs.

But that was with LeBron James.

Without him, the Cavs are shells of their former selves.

"We have to figure out how to win these games," said Gibson, who scored 12 with nine assists. "We just have to keep trying until we do. It's not a matter of if, but when. We have to continue to play the way we're playing and things are going to change for us."

When?

"The next game, hopefully," he said. "That's the way you have to approach it."

Antawn Jamison scored 17 and Ramon Sesions 15 points to pace the Cavs, who will try to end their skid today in Dallas. After that, they'll host Detroit, the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington - all three are under 500 and the Wizards are the league's only winless road team.

No signs of ending

For much of the night, it appeared the Cavaliers might finally end a slide that began with a December 20 loss to Utah and shows no signs of ending.

Cleveland led early in the fourth quarter, but Rudy Fernandez hit a three-pointer and the Blazers went on a 15-4 run to open a 105-95 lead. The Cavs didn't fold and they responded with a 10-2 spurt to make it 107-105 on Sessions' lay-in with 1:23 left.

But on Portland's next possession, former Cavs guard Andre Miller, who had just one point with five minutes left, dropped a tough, 12-foot fade away to put the Blazers back up by four.

Sessions then missed a lay up with 39 seconds left after grabbing a loose ball that went through teammate J.J. Hickson's hands underneath. The Cavs had to foul and Fernandez's two free throws sent Cleveland to another gut-wrenching defeat.

Miller admitted the Blazers didn't want to be the team to let Cleveland off the mat.

"There's pressure playing against every team, but, of course, there's added pressure with them struggling the way they are," Miller said. "You don't want to be the top headline: "Streak ends to Portland Trail Blazers." Guys took a little pride in that."

The Cavs, who at one point were 7-9, came in tied with Vancouver (1995-96) and Denver (1997-98) for the longest losing skid in one season.

Destined for failure

It's all theirs now, another blow in a nightmarish season that seemed destined for failure when James decided to leave.

"I couldn't care less about the record," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "I care about our guys progressing and getting better. That's my biggest focus and hopefully they feel the same way."

In other matches, the scores were: Atlanta 99 Washington 92, Dallas 101 Charlotte 92, LA Lakers 101 New Orleans 95, Denver 113 Minnesota 100, Detroit 89 Milwaukee 78, Memphis 93 Houston 95, Oklahoma City 121 Utah Oklahoma City Utah 105, Chicago 90 Golden State 101.

basketball: nba