ATLANTA - No LeBron James. No Al Horford.Late decisions by Cleveland and Atlanta to hold out the two stars could have led to a letdown, but Paul Millsap made sure the Hawks were tough down the stretch.Millsap scored 26 points and took over for Atlanta in the fourth quarter to help hold off a Cleveland comeback and the Hawks beat the short-handed Cavaliers 109-101 on Tuesday night.James, celebrating his 30th birthday, was held out with a sore left knee. Cavaliers forward Shawn Marion was held out with a left ankle sprain.Horford left the court with an upset stomach only minutes before tipoff.Hearing the news that James wont be in uniform can be disappointing — even for the opposing team.Different guys arent playing, guys on our team arent playing, guys for them arent playing, said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer. Its just human nature, as much as you want to fight it, it can be hard. We dont want to lower our expectations ... but it wasnt a pretty game.The Hawks led by 17 points early in the second half but had to hold off a comeback by Cleveland, which had 35 points and nine assists from Kyrie Irving.I had to be aggressive; we had some guys down, Irving said. I just kept shooting. ... We gave ourselves a chance to win. We just couldnt get over the hump.Irving made 13 of 27 shots from the field.I just thought Kyrie played his heart out, said Cavaliers coach David Blatt. I cant say enough about that kid. I just think the world of that kid.After a jam by Tristan Thompson cut the Atlanta lead to 93-90, Millsap scored Atlantas next eight points. Millsap had 10 points in the fourth quarter.Thats what we expect out of him, said Atlanta guard Jeff Teague of Millsap.Teague had 23 points and 11 assists, and Kyle Korver sank five 3-pointers while scoring 19 points.Thompson had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland.The Cavaliers have lost three of four. Before the game, Blatt addressed speculation of unrest on the team.I didnt feel a necessity to talk to the guys about that because thats simply not the case, Blatt said. And just because things are reported or said, it doesnt mean that theyre true.We have a very good group. Close knit. Guys are engaged, guys are listening. We went through a couple of tough games. A few short games ago we were 18-10 and looking good.James status is day to day.Obviously, we want to get him right, Blatt said after James was pulled from the starting lineup about 90 minutes before the game.James also was held out of Clevelands Dec. 11 game at Oklahoma City with soreness in the knee.___TIP-INSCavaliers: G Matthew Dellavedova had six points in his fourth start of the season. ... Irving had eight turnovers. Irvings 27 shots from the field set a season high. ... The Cavaliers shot only 34.1 per cent from the field in the first half and made only 6 of 21 shots (28.6) in the second quarter.Hawks: C Pero Antic had five points in his first start of the season. ... Millsap blocked three shots. ... Shelvin Mack, who set a career high with 24 points in Atlantas 127-98 win at Cleveland on Dec. 17, did not play. ... Two players were assigned to NBA Development League teams — guard John Jenkins to Idaho Stampede and centre Adreian Payne to Austin.LOVE LOSTCavaliers forward Kevin Love had seven points and seven rebounds, making only one of eight shots from the field, before leaving the game in the third quarter with tightness in his back. Love said he had a similar problem once before and was fine the following day.STAR GAZINGJames wore a grey suit as he watched the game from the bench. He shared a hug and laugh with singer Usher, who had a front-row seat near the Cavaliers bench, during a timeout.UP NEXTCavaliers: Host Milwaukee on Wednesday.Hawks: At Utah on Friday. Wholesale Shoes Brands . Scolari says that although Brazilians have the right to complain about the government and demand improvements, perhaps the protests wont be coming at the "right time. Wholesale Shoes 2020 . It looked like being another miserable day for Moyes when Ashley Westwood put Villa in front from a 13th-minute free kick. But Rooney headed United level seven minutes later, and the striker netted his 16th of the season for the struggling champions from the penalty spot before halftime. http://www.wholesaleshoes.us.org/. Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN Habs at 7:30pm et/8:30pm at. Replica Shoes Wholesale . The Bulls seem to be getting along fine without him. D.J. Augustin scored 27 points in a start for Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson matched a career high with 26 filling in for Carlos Boozer as the Bulls improved to 7-2 since trading the popular Deng with a 98-87 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Cheap Shoes China Wholesale . LOUIS -- The St.SAO PAULO - Cruzeiro scored twice in the first 15 minutes and held on to defeat Botafogo 2-1 in the Brazilian league on Sunday, maintaining a five-point lead over second-place Sao Paulo going into the competitions final rounds.Sao Paulo stayed within range with six matches remaining thanks to a late 2-1 victory at last-place Criciuma.Third-place Internacional remained eight points back from the lead by beating Santos 2-1 with both goals by Chile midfielder Charles Aranguiz at the Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos.Four teams are 10 points back — Fluminense, Atletico Mineiro, Gremio and Corinthians.Forward Marquinhos opened the scoring for Cruzeiro just five minutes into the match at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, and left back Egidio added to the lead with a 15th-minute free kick.Botafogo, which stayed in relegation zone with the loss, scored its lone goal in second-half injury time.Cruzeiro reached 64 points from 32 matches with the victory, its 19th in the competition. The defending champion had drawn twice in a row entering the weekend.We have to find a way to keep this same pace until the end to keep this lead and lift the trophy again, Cruzeiro forward Everton Ribeiro said.Sao Paulo striker Alan Kardec scored with a header in the 83rd minute to give his club the victory at the Heriberto Hulse Stadium in Criciuma, leaving the home team last in the 20-team standings with 20 points.Internacional picked up its first ever win at the Vila Belmiro Stadium on Sunday. One of Aranguizs goals came after a pass from Argentine playmaker Andres DAlessandro.On Saturday, striker Fred and Argentine midfielder Dario Conca scored a goal each to help Fluminense beat Goias 2-0 and reach fourth place in the standings.dddddddddddd It was the fourth win in a row for Fluminense, the Brazilian champion in 2010 and 2012.Sixth-place Gremio edged Vitoria 1-0 at the Arena Gremio in Porto Alegre, while seventh-place Corinthians missed a chance to move closer after a 2-2 home draw with Coritiba. Corinthians was losing 2-0 at halftime and only equalized in the last minute of injury time. Former Brazil and Fenerbahce playmaker Alex scored one of the goals for Coritiba, which remains in relegation zone.In a late match, fifth-place Atletico Mineiro missed a chance to move within seven points of Cruzeiro after a 1-0 loss to Atletico Paranaense in Curitiba, while Flamengo routed Chapecoense 3-0 with two goals by forward Nixon. Palmeiras moved five points clear from relegation zone thanks to a 1-0 win over second-to-last place Bahia. Striker Mazinho scored after a set up by Chile playmaker Jorge Valdivia, ending the teams three-match winless streak.Also Saturday, a fourth-division match in southern Brazil was interrupted for nearly half an hour because of a brawl involving players from clubs Londrina and Brasil de Pelotas. Four players were taken to a police station for interrogation after the altercation. Local media said some were officially accused for their involvement. A cameraman and a staff member for one of the clubs sustained minor injuries in the incident.___Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni ' ' '