WASHINGTON -- One day after their general manager was unexpectedly fired and playing without their second leading scorer, the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to snap their six-game losing streak. Custom St. Louis Cardinals Nike Jerseys . Luol Deng was out with flu-like symptoms, and Kyrie Irving, who missed shootaround because he was ill, fought through his sneezing spells to help lead the Cavaliers to a 115-113 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday. Irving had 23 points and tied a career high with 12 assists and made all 13 of his free throws. Dion Waiters scored 24 points and C.J. Miles had 18 for Cleveland. "Im all right. Its the best that Im going to get right now," Irving said. The second-year guard admitted that the firing of Chris Grant, who drafted him, was troubling. "Thats the sad part, the bad part about our business. Things are going to change whether you like it or not and you still have to go out there and perform as a professional. It was probably on our minds but we cant use it as an excuse," Irving said. Cleveland took a 67-63 lead at halftime when Irving hit four free throws just before the intermission and never relinquished it. The Cavaliers took a 101-87 lead three minutes into the fourth quarter, but the Wizards, who were led by John Walls 32 points and 10 assists, couldnt make up the difference. Martell Webster hit two late 3-pointers to cut the lead to 115-113 with 2.9 seconds left. Clevelands Jarrett Jack missed two free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining. A scramble resulted with Washington getting possession with 0.2 seconds left, but couldnt get off a final shot. The near comeback didnt impress Wizards coach Randy Wittman. "We wait until the last four minutes to fly around and decide to play defence. Last four minutes of the game. Everybody will say, you gave a great effort coming down the stretch. No we didnt. For 44 minutes we didnt give an effort," Wittman said. His team didnt heed his warnings. "We told them what that organization is going through right now. Some tough times with the firing of their GM. Theyre going to be desperate. It always happens no matter who it is that gets fired," Wittman said. Washington fell to 24-25. Its the 12th time theyre one game under .500 this season. The Wizards were one game over .500 after Mondays win against Portland for the first time since Oct. 31, 2009, but they lost in double overtime to San Antonio on Wednesday. "Were not a very good team. Good teams dont do that over and over and over and over again. We can get all caught up in .500, and I told you guys what that meant. Nothing. And think youve arrived. Good teams do not lose basketball games like this nine, ten, 11 times halfway through a season," Wittman said. Marcin Gortat had 19 and Webster 18 for Washington. "We have a lot of fans coming in, paying to watch good basketball at a high level. They expect us to win games like that -- and were losing," Gortat said. Waiters scored just four of his 24 points in the fourth quarter when he was just 2 for 7 from the field. "The energy was different, these guys knew what was at stake after going through a situation where we went through. We faced adversity and it wasnt the first time for us but at the end of the day we came out here we played hard, played for one another and we got a big win," Waiters said. Grant came under fire after he chose Anthony Bennett with the first overall pick last June. Bennett has struggled in his first months with Cleveland, though coach Mike Brown, a longtime friend of Grants, defended Bennett before Fridays game, saying hes shown great improvement recently. Bennett had eight points. NOTES: Clevelands Alonzo Gee had a season-high 11 points. . Wall addressed the fans before the game, thanking them for their support in All-Star Game voting. The fourth-year guard will play in the Feb. 16 game in New Orleans for the first time. .Washington F Al Harrington hasnt played since Nov. 12 because of right knee surgery. Wittman said he thinks Harrington will play again this season, but wouldnt put a timetable on it. Custom Houston Astros Nike Jerseys . The Red Sox maintained a share of the AL wild-card lead Tuesday night, using four home runs to beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-7 and set up a dramatic conclusion to the regular season. The skidding Red Sox were 6-19 this month before rebounding to edge the last-place Orioles. Custom Toronto Blue Jays Nike Jerseys . Patty Mills scored 15 points, Tim Duncan had 10 points and 11 rebounds in limited minutes, and San Antonio trailed for only 11 seconds late in the first quarter of a 103-90 victory over Portland on Wednesday night. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-texas-rangers-nike-jerseys . -- Caris LeVert had 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, and No.(SportsNetwork.com) - Its footballs equivalent to Bird versus Magic or perhaps Ali and Frazier. Catch the action live, beginning with Football Night in America on TSN2 at 7pm et/4pm pt. For the 14th time in their storied careers, future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will face off against each other when the Denver Broncos visit the New England Patriots on "Sunday Night Football." Brady has generally had the edge historically, going 9-4 against Mannings Colts and now Broncos but Peyton has posted a 4-3 record in his last seven head-to-head matchups after dropping the first six meetings. Each has enjoyed almost stunning efficiency throughout their respective careers. In fact this contest will mark the first in NFL history in which both signal callers are at least 90 games over .500 as starters. Brady has the best winning percentage in the modern era and is at plus-101 for his career (143-42) while Manning is third overall in winning percentage and plus-92 (163-71). "Its always a great matchup," said Broncos interim head coach Jack Del Rio when talking about the two QBs. "Youre talking about two of the premier quarterbacks in the league and its going to be shown in primetime and all that." Mannings Broncos have been playing at the higher level so far this season and Denver defeated Kansas City, 27-17, last week, handing the Chiefs their first loss of the season. With the win, the Broncos are now deadlocked with KC atop both the AFC West and the conference as a whole at 9-1. Manning threw a touchdown pass in that one, and rookie Montee Ball ran for two scores as Denver denied the Chiefs their first 10-0 start in franchise history. Manning, playing on a tender ankle, completed 24-of-40 passes for 323 yards and was not sacked once by a unit which entered the week leading the NFL in that category. "I thought they responded well against a very good front," said Del Rio about his offensive line. Knowshon Moreno added 79 yards on the ground for the Broncos, who became the first team to score more than 17 points against Kansas City this season en route to winning their ninth straight game against a division foe. New England, on the other hand, leads the AFC East by two games despite a controversial 24-20 loss at Carolina on Monday night. The game ended despite a flag being thrown in the end zone on the final play, indicating a possible pass interference/holding penalty on Carolinas Luke Kuechly, but officials picked it up, a move that infuriated Brady, who followed referee Clete Blakeman off the field as the TV broadcast picked up audio of the veteran using an expletive to complain. "I wish it wouldnt have come down to that," Brady said. "I mean I think there were plenty of plays we could have made, but it did and theyre going to make a call or theyre not going to make the call. We can play better than that." Down by four with just under a minute to go and all three timeouts in hand, the Pats marched to the Carolina 18, where, on the games final play, Brady threw a pass that rookie safety Robert Lester picked off in the end zone. Brady was looking for Rob Gronkowski but the All-Pro tight end was bear-hugged by Kuechly behind Lester. The official nearest the play threw a flag in the end zone, but Blakeman and the rest of the crew huddled and declared there was no foul. Brady completed 29-of-40 passes for 296 yards with one touchdown. Running back Shane Vereen, activated from short-term injured reserve prior to the game, had 65 yards on eight receptiions for the Patriots, who are two games behind the Broncos and Chiefs for the AFC lead. Custom Cleveland Indians Nike Jerseys. "Its not really our job to call the game. Its to play it and coach it. Whatever calls they make are the ones that we live with," Belichick said. "We have to turn the page here quickly, get on to Denver. Good football team, playing well. Obviously, their record reflects that." The Broncos own a 25-18 all-time record against the Patriots in the regular season, including a 9-9 mark in road games. The banged-up New England defense faces its toughest test this week. The Broncos lead the NFL with 398 points scored -- the third-most ever by a team through the first 10 games of a season -- and Manning has passed for a league-best 3,572 yards and 34 touchdowns, a number on pace to top Bradys record season of 50 in 2007, which just happened to top Mannings 49 from three years prior to that. The success of the Broncos offense is directly tied to Mannings high-level of performance along with a stunning group of playmakers which includes ex- Patriots star Wes Welker along with outside the numbers threats Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker as well as dynamic tight end Julius Thomas. Welker, of course, was Bradys top target for six seasons in New England, amassing 672 receptions and 37 TDs over that span while reaching the 1,000- yard plateau in five of those years. He is, however, dealing with a concussion and could miss his return to Foxborough. Meanwhile, Julius Thomas, who already has 10 receiving TDs, matching Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe for the most by a tight end in franchise history, is also hampered by a balky knee. "(Welker is) a tough guy so hes played through everything," Brady said. "This is a big game for both teams so you have to expect their best players. Im sure all those guys will be ready to go." Welker hasnt slowed down much in the Rockies and has 61 receptions for 648 yards, one of five Broncos to have at least 37 catches so far in 2013. "Wes has a great work ethic and hes provided just good leadership to our offense," Manning said. He loves football. Hes a tough guy. He plays through injuries. And those are things that you appreciate about a football player." The middle of the Pats D has been decimated by injuries with defensive tackles Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly as well as middle linebacker Jerod Mayo and safety Adrian Wilson lost for the season. Meanwhile cornerback Alfonzo Dennard (knee) and safety Steve Gregory (thumb) missed last weeks game at Carolina and the teams top over corner, Aqib Talib, was forced to leave after aggravating a hip injury that caused him to miss the three prior games. Brady, who has thrown for 2,552 yards and 14 TDs, really hadnt been himself this season thanks in large part to the uncertainty at the skill positions but he has slowly been starting to hit his stride The fact that Gronkowski and slot receiver Danny Amendola are now healthy while rookie Aaron Dobson seems to getting it has to be a scary thought for most opposing defenses. "Its pretty well documented my respect for Tom as a quarterback," Manning said. "The way he prepares. The way hes better each season than the year before. Every time you play their football team, youre playing a well- coached, disciplined team." The Broncos suffered a significant hit on their defense when safety Rahim Moore was lost for a significant period after undergoing emergency surgery to stop bleeding in a left leg muscle. ' ' '