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Slumping Cavs host Nuggets at the Q

Jan 28, 2011 - 4:25 PM (Sports Network) - The Cleveland Cavaliers hope to avoid matching their longest losing streak in nearly three decades when they host the Denver Nuggets tonight at Quicken Loans Arena.

The lowly Cavaliers have lost 18 straight games and are one away from matching the team record for futility in one season set in 1981-82 when the club dropped its final 19 games. Cleveland then went on to lose the first five in 1982-83 for an NBA-record 24-game skid.

Most recently the Cavs fell in Boston on Tuesday when Paul Pierce scored all of his 24 points in the first half, as the Celtics jumped all over Cleveland on the way to an easy 112-95 win, the Cavs' franchise record 22nd straight road setback.

Cleveland head coach Byron Scott, in what has become an almost daily reaction, said he was taking it game-by-game and not worrying about the losing streak.

"I care about our guys getting better and that's what we're trying to do," said Scott. "As I told [my team] before the game, you're playing the Eastern Conference champs so they're gonna come out ready, so you got to play 48 solid minutes.

"We weren't able to play 48 solid minutes, but I thought for the most part we represented ourselves OK. We could have done some things better, but we did OK."

Christian Eyenga scored 15 points, while Ramon Sessions and Manny Harris added 14 apiece in the loss.

The NBA record for consecutive losses in one season is 23.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, improved to 2-0 on a five-game road trip Wednesday when Chauncey Billups scored 26 and hit four big three-pointers in the final three-plus minutes, helping Denver snap a 14-game road skid against the Pistons with a 109-100 victory at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Billups, who spent six full seasons with the Pistons, had 14 points in the last quarter, assisting Denver to its first away victory over Detroit since March 10, 1995. The veteran guard finished the game 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Carmelo Anthony filled the stat sheet with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Nuggets, who have won three in a row overall and seven of their last nine games. Arron Afflalo ended with 17 points, followed by 13 for Shelden Williams and 10 from Al Harrington.

"I knew somebody was going to have to make some shots because they got the momentum going well," Billups said. "Will [Bynum] played great, he was making plays. He made his jump shots and I knew somebody else had to make a couple of plays. They came to zone in on 'Melo and that's the opportunities that I love."

Denver has won eight of its last 10 meetings with the Cavaliers, and has won three of its past four at the "Q."