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CLEVELAND - LeBron James had on street clothes, and the Milwaukee Bucks made the most of his absence.Brandon Knight scored 26 points Wednesday night and Milwaukee led most of the way in a 96-80 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers, who played without James for the second straight game.James was sidelined because of a sore left knee, an injury that also forced him to miss Tuesdays game against Atlanta. Kevin Love was out with back spasms, and the Cavaliers went on to their fourth loss in five games.The Bucks seized on their opportunity.We prepared for their main guys, but honestly, it made us a little more focused when we found out they werent going to have LeBron, Knight said. We knew their other guys who come out and play extra hard. No matter who is on the court, our principles never change. Guys are always ready to play.Cavaliers coach David Blatt admitted that playing without a full roster is a challenge, but added: No excuses. Weve got to play and weve got to compete and do everything we can to win basketball games.O.J. Mayo scored 15 points for the Bucks (17-16), and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists.Kyrie Irving scored 25 points for Cleveland, and Tristan Thompson had 10 points and 13 rebounds. The Cavaliers scored seven points in the third quarter, a season low.Milwaukee went ahead for good late in the first quarter and built a 17-point lead in the first half. Cleveland pulled within one late in the second quarter, but the Bucks led by five at the break and opened the third with a 13-2 run.Milwaukees lead reached 22 points in the fourth quarter. The Bucks, who won in overtime at Charlotte on Monday, improved to 7-7 on the road.Knight was 11 of 19 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and had six assists. Zaza Pachulia and Khris Middleton each had nine points and eight rebounds.James said before the game the knee has bothered him most of the season, and he didnt know if he would play Friday in Charlotte. He missed the Dec. 11 game against Oklahoma City and aggravated the knee when he jumped over a row of seats chasing a loose ball on Christmas at Miami.James ranks second in the NBA with 25.2 points per game, and Love averages 16.7 points and 10.1 rebounds.The Cavaliers (18-14) have been hit by a rash of injuries. Forward Shawn Marion missed his second straight game with a sprained left ankle. Center Anderson Varejao will miss the rest of the season after tearing his left Achilles tendon last week.Obviously, when those guys arent playing its going to be a different game, Irving said. For us right now weve just to pick it up. I think were ready to do so, but we need a little bit more. Im going to have to give more. As a group we have to figure this out.The Bucks, who finished an NBA-worst 15-67 last season, have split eight games since they announced that rookie forward Jabari Parker will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.We knew they were without LeBron, Kevin Love and Shawn Marion, but it didnt matter, Antetokounmpo said. We just tried to play our game and get the win. I like winning. I like winning as much as possible. Last year was tough. Coming into this year, we really didnt know what we had, but all the guys are playing hard.COMEBACK KIDThe Bucks worked out free agent Kenyon Martin at a Cleveland-area gym on Tuesday. Coach Jason Kidd played with the 37-year-old forward with the Nets and New York Knicks. Martin has also worked out with Houston and Memphis. Hes going to play shortly here with someone, Kidd said.NO TIMETABLEIts unclear when Clevelands injured players will return. If James doesnt play Friday, he hopes to return Sunday when the Cavaliers host Dallas. Loves back locked up on him in the first half against Atlanta and he was limited to 24 minutes. Marion rolled his ankle last Sunday against the Pistons.TIP-INSBucks: C Larry Sanders (illness), who missed his fourth straight game, will be examined Thursday in Milwaukee. ... F Ersan Ilyasova (concussion) also missed his fourth straight game. ... G Jerryd Bayless (sore left knee) also didnt play.Cavaliers: C Brendan Haywood, who appeared in seven of the first 31 games, started for the first time this season. ... Blatt made liberal use of his bench. All 11 players saw action and Irving, who played 43 minutes Tuesday, was given a rest in the first quarter.UP NEXTBucks: Host Indiana on Friday.Cavaliers: At Charlotte on Friday. Wholesale Atlanta Falcons Jerseys . She was a pioneer. She did things on skis that made the birds take notice. Falcons Jerseys China . PAUL, Minn. http://www.cheapfalconsjerseysauthentic.com/. LOUIS -- Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks won the matchup of unbeaten teams. Atlanta Falcons Jerseys 2018 . Orlandos Glen Davis tried to get in the way, only to be driven back into the padding under the basket as the Pelicans forward slammed home a windmill jam. Cheap Atlanta Falcons Jerseys . Justine finished first with a score of 22.44 while Chloe was second with 21.66 points. Defending champion Hannah Kearney of the U.S., was third at 21.49. A third Dufour-Lapointe sister, Maxime, failed to make the final group and finished 12th while Audrey Robichaud of Quebec City was 10th.TORONTO - If England striker Jermain Defoe doesnt return, Toronto FC already knows who it is going after next.But MLSE boss Tim Leiweke says any deal involving Defoe will have to be worth it for the MLS club. And any move will be at the behest of the team and not the player.We know this is a great place to play, we know we have guys like Michael Bradley that love Toronto. Gilberto loves Toronto, Leiweke told The Canadian Press in an interview Tuesday.In fact when I look at the basketball team and the hockey team, weve got a group of guys now that all want to be here and all want to be a part of the Leafs, the Raptors and TFC. Thats what we want. Thats how you build winning teams.Jermain needs to decide if he wants to be here. If he does, then I think hes one of the great strikers in MLS. If he does not, then that situation is ours to ultimately decide — not his — because we own his contract. Were not going to give him away. And so were in a good spot.The one thing I can promise our fans — one way or another, this will end well for TFC. (I) guarantee it.The London Evening Standard reported Tuesday that Queens Park Rangers, who reportedly have been after Defoe for months, have a deal in place to sign the 32-year-old forward when the transfer window reopens in January.Leiweke suggested that anyone who goes after Defoe will have to dig deep into its wallet to get him.As Ive said before, Jermain Defoe was not a mistake, said Leiweke, who led the chase for the former Spurs star. He is a very good player and I think in his heart, in his soul, a good man. But we have to determine does he want to be here. Theres no DP that is ultimately going to leave this organization and we go backwards on the capital invested. Thats not going to happen.Leiwekes comments seem to ramp up the Defoe stakes.Previously, club officials had said they only want players who want to be here. Leiwekes message Tuesday was if you want Defoe, you will have to pay for him.Leiweke, whose term as president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is slated to end by next June, went so far as to say Plan B is already drawn up.And he went even further.We know where we are going. If we have a DP (designated player) slot open, we already know who were going after. And I am 100 per cent convinced were going to be a better team on the pitch next year — without a lot of changes.ddddddddddddWe need some consistency and we need a core group and a core value system here. Some people believe in what were doing. Others are hoping we fail.Toronto (11-15-8) failed to make the playoffs for an eighth straight year, despite setting club single-season records for wins (11) and points (41).The English report is just the latest scuttlebutt surrounding the 32-year-old Defoe, who led Toronto with 11 goals in an injury-plagued debut season in North America.Toronto turned down a club-record transfer bid for Defoe at the end of the summer transfer window, reportedly from QPR.For his part, Defoe has said he likes Toronto and never asked publicly to leave. But he has been hazy over what lies ahead, saying only he cant predict the future.DPs are not an exact science, Leiweke said.This is still a work in progress here and it is not lost on us that Jermain Defoe had a very good start to the season and scored 11 goals in 16 games. And during that span we were a team that had a good record and would have made the playoffs — and in fact hosted the playoffs — had we continued that pace, he added. We didnt. Weve got to do better and we know it. But I think we took a step in the right direction.Leiweke said team ownership has committed the resources to three designated players — whose combined salary in 2014 was US$13.885 million according to the MLS Players Union.Now we just have to determine do all three DPs want to be a part of what were building here. And if one of them does not, then the only way we ever make a move for any of our DPs is a deal that is in our best interest. And so this is the clubs decision, its not the players. In all due respect, we have acquired the rights to all three players. And so were going to do whats in the best interest of TFC. Period.In reviewing his designated players, Leiweke only cited a question mark over Defoe.He praised Bradleys passion, intensity and love for Toronto. He called Gilberto a raw talent who is only going to get better.And I think Jermain is one of the better strikers in the world of football. And if he wants to be here and hes focused on being a part of this organization, then we saw what he can do. And theres no question how good Jermain Defoe is.———Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter. ' ' '