Tip-off: 7 p.m. at Gund Arena.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Net Ohio; WTAM AM/1100.

Injuries: Cavs - Jeff Trepagnier (knee) and Lamond Murray (nose) are out. Wizards - Hubert Davis (flu), Bobby Simmons (knee) and Christian Laettner (thigh) are out.

Notable: Michael Jordan torched the Cavs for 40 points last Thursday in Washington's 94-85 victory. . . . The Cavs and Wizards split the first two games. . . . The Cavs have won 6 of 7 against the Wizards and 16 of the last 20 meetings in Cleveland. . . . The Cavs trail, 74-81, in the all-time series. . . . The Cavs snapped their 12-game losing streak with a blowout victory over Minnesota on Tuesday.

It was the first day of training camp for the Cavaliers and Lisa Boyer was ready. Boyer sat in the stands at Gund Arena with her feet up, clipboard in hand and prepared to take notes.

That all changed once Cavs coach John Lucas noticed Boyer and invited her to the court to help the team. Lucas hasn't allowed Boyer to sit unassumingly in the stands since.

Boyer, already an assistant coach with the WNBA's Cleveland Rockers, is a volunteer assistant coach with the Cavs. She participates in all of the home practices, and she is a part of Lucas' staff during home games. She doesn't travel with the team. Boyer sits on the side with associate coach Chuck Person during games. The league allows only two assistant coaches on the team bench.

NBA Entertainment is in town this week filming Boyer. She's the only female assisting an NBA team in a coaching capacity.

"A lot of this has to do with John," Boyer said. "This guy is about opportunity. He's full of energy and he's about positive motivation. I don't think he necessarily had in this mind that morning that he was going to walk in and add me to his staff. The opportunity presented itself, and I was in the right place at the right time and I appreciate it. It's been an incredible learning experience."

Boyer has 19 years of coaching experience, all in the women's game. She was the head coach of the Richmond/Philadelphia Rage of the ABL from 1996 to '98. Prior to coaching the Rage, she was the head coach at Bradley from 1986 to '96.

Hamilton set to return tonight:

Richard Hamilton, the Washington Wizards' second-leading scorer behind Michael Jordan, was activated from the injured list and planned to play tonight at Cleveland.

Hamilton had missed 17 games with a groin tear. Hamilton, averaging 19.8 points, and Jordan are the only Wizards players averaging in double figures.

Hubert Davis, who has been starting in Hamilton's place, will miss the trip to Cleveland because of the flu. Coach Doug Collins said Tyrone Nesby or Courtney Alexander will start, with Hamilton coming off the bench.

To make room for Hamilton on the roster, Bobby Simmons was placed on the injured list because of tendinitis in his left knee.

Hot streak:

Bryant Stith played his second consecutive impressive game on Tuesday. Stith had a season-high 20 points last Saturday against Boston and he finished with 14 points and a season-high nine rebounds during the Cavs' victory over Minnesota.

Stith, however, knows his role as a starter can change.

"It feels good [playing well during the last two games], but I understand that I'm just doing my job until Lamond [Murray] gets back," Stith said. "Hopefully I've gained the confidence of my teammates and coaches where they feel comfortable to give me more minutes off the bench."

Feel-good session:

Trajan Langdon scored a season-high 14 points in nine minutes during the Cavs' win against Minnesota. Langdon's been on and off the injured list all season, so the time on the court was well-spent.

"It was good getting in before the last couple of minutes of a game and being able to get into a real flow," Langdon said. "It was good to get in and see the ball go through the hoop, and even better to end the [Cavs' 12-game losing] streak against one of the better teams in the league."

Spurt:

"I've never heard of a run like that before. I'm just glad I wasn't on the other end of it." - Lucas, on the Cavs' 45-4 run against Minnesota during the second and third quarters.

Birthday:

The Cavs followed practice with a birthday cake for rookie DeSagana Diop. Diop, the Cavs' first-round pick in last year's draft, turned 20 yesterday.

"I was surprised and I appreciate it," Diop said. "I'm going to celebrate by going to a concert and then I'm going to chill."

Comeback:

Lucas said chances are good Murray will come off the injured list on Saturday against Detroit. Murray will wear a mask to protect his broken nose, suffered against the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 18.

Cavs guard Ricky Davis doesn't back down from anyone. Not even Michael Jordan.

Following the Cavs' loss to Washington last week, where Jordan scored 40 points, Davis said everyone's scared of Jordan, but he isn't.

Jordan said he knows the younger players all want to challenge him, and he doesn't have a problem with that.

"[Davis] shouldn't be scared," Jordan said. "If he is scared, then obviously I've won the game before it starts. I take on all kinds of challenges and he's no different. He's going to come at me at home, and I'll be there. I don't think I'm running away from any challenges."

Jordan and Davis will get the opportunity to run into each other and settle the rubber match tonight between the Cavs and Wizards at Gund Arena. The Cavs easily defeated the Wizards by 19 points here on Nov. 27.

Jordan struggled from the field (9-of-24) and finished with 18 points. Davis, on the other hand, was 9-of-14 from the field for 18 points.

It was a game where Jordan perceived Davis as rubbing it in by dunking several times late in the game.

Jordan also didn't appreciate some pregame comments from Davis about dunking on him if he got the opportunity.

Jordan responded with 40 points against the Cavs last week in a Wizards victory.

It was the 14th time Jordan has scored 40 or more points against the Cavs during the regular season, the most for him against any team. Following the game, Jordan said, "It was one of those things that you didn't want to see happen again, so the best way to do that was to get [Davis] in foul trouble and sit him down over there so he can watch us."

Apparently, Davis didn't like last week's view.

"[Jordan] told me that he remembered the [first] game," said Davis after the game. "We're going to remember this when they come back to our place. He got the win this time."

Time has the ability to change things, and it appears time has changed Davis. Or Davis has come to understand trash-talking with Jordan isn't always beneficial.

"I'm just ready to go out and play hard and try to get a victory because we're struggling right now," Davis said. "Forget about all that one-on-one stuff. We need a victory. Finding something to motivate him is what [Jordan] needs to get himself going. He looks for stuff like that. I'm not going to help him get motivated this time. As we all know, he can still do what he wants to do on the court and he can embarrass you."

Well, a kinder, gentler Davis won't help Bryant Stith tonight. Stith is expected to start and he'll have the responsibility of defending Jordan.

"It's too late now," said Stith about no more trash-talking. "The damage has been done. Michael Jordan has a very long memory. What we have to do now is try to withstand his barrage of offensive moves, because you know it's coming."

Cavs coach John Lucas has tried to be a mediator since Jordan's offensive spree. Lucas has been overly complimentary about Jordan. Stith, who'll be in the middle of the fire, hasn't taken Lucas' stance.

"I'm not going to try to soften him up," Stith said. "I'm kind of psyched for the challenge. I want to play when he's giving his best. It's something you can go back home and laugh about over the summer. Either you can be a hero or you can be a goat."

For the better part of four months, the Timberwolves had much of the NBA crying uncle.

For the past two weeks, it's the Wolves who have been caught crying wolf.

Or, as in the rubble of their 114-81 collapse against the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Gund Arena, simply crying.

What happens when someone cries wolf? People stop taking you seriously. The Wolves are on the brink of that now. Play badly enough, often enough, against clubs such as the Cavaliers -- who ended a 12-game losing steak, beat the Wolves for the second time this season and are a mighty 4-21 against teams with winning records -- and folks will stop paying attention.

Branson Wright of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports: You figured it would only be a matter of time before the Cavaliers would roll into their routine of starting at warp speed and then falling on their faces in the second half.

Last night, these Cavs were on pace to threaten the franchise's single-season record of 19 consecutive losses and they were facing a team with the third-best record in the league. The odds were in favor of a continued free fall. Forget what you previously believed.

A suffocating defense combined with 37 third-quarter points aided the Cavs' domination over the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 114-81 victory at Gund Arena.

The victory snapped the Cavs' 12-game losing streak. In addition to matching a season-high for points in a quarter, the Cavs won the rebound battle, 52-36.

"It's a big win because we've lost 12 straight games," Person said. "We've been doing some good things but it just hasn't showed in the win column. We came out and played well tonight. It is a relief to finally get that win."

Andre Miller got what he expected. He was left out in the voting for All-Star
Game reserves despite leading the league in assists. Eastern Conference guards selected included Milwaukee's Ray Allen, New Jersey's Jason Kidd, Boston's Paul Pierce and Orlando guard/forward Tracy McGrady.
``I'm disappointed, but you have to move on,'' Miller said.

With the game Feb. 10, Miller said he would take advantage of the break to rest. Asked what he had planned, Miller said, ``Sleep.''

Coach John Lucas agonized over the results more than Miller. He said he called seven fellow coaches Monday to lobby in behalf of Miller.

``I felt like I let Andre down,'' Lucas said. ``I believe a lot in Andre Miller. I'm always teasing him about being my oldest son. I wanted him to see the reward. He's having his best year ever. Three or four more wins probably puts him in.''

NUMBER CRUNCHING -- Lucas said he'd spent more time in pre-game preparation during the Cavs' 12-game losing streak. One of the statistics he pointed to was that the Cavs had scored 27 more 2-point field goals than its opponents this season, but the opponents had scored 57 more 3-pointers.

The reasons?

Because the Cavs play a lot of zone, opposing big men are kicking the ball back outside frequently. ``Also we're big, but we're slow,'' Lucas said. ``In transition, we get caught getting back. And our rotations have been inconsistent.''

SHORTS -- Lamond Murray (broken nose) is on track to come off the injured list Saturday as the Cavs play host to Detroit. . . . Lucas said rookie center DeSagana Diop wears a knee brace because of a ``little bit'' of fluid on his knee. Lucas said it was merely precautionary. . . . Lucas worried that Minnesota forward Wally Szczerbiak (Miami) would have a big game after learning he was voted to his first All-Star team. The Cavs were burned by Boston's Antoine Walker for 31 points last Saturday, the day Walker was named a starter.

Andre Miller wasn't selected as a reserve to the NBA All-Star Game in Philadelphia on Feb. 10 and Cavs coach John Lucas is taking responsibility.

"I let Andre down," Lucas said. "I believe in Andre Miller. He's having his best year ever, and I wanted to see some type of reward. He's been injured and that's one of the reasons why we don't have more wins."

Miller didn't receive enough fan votes to make the East team as a starter, so the only other way to make the team was as a reserve. The league's coaches vote for the reserves. Over the past few days, Lucas turned into Miller's personal campaign manager. Lucas said he let Miller down because he wasn't able to convince the seven coaches he called. The reserve guards who made it ahead of Miller include Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady and Paul Pierce.

Minnesota coach Flip Saunders was Miller's coach this summer during the Goodwill Games.

"The guys who get voted to the All-Star team are usually from winning teams," Saunders said. "There has to be something said about a team that wins because it sends the right message to players that they're rewarded when their team wins."

Miller is having his best season. He leads the league with 10.3 assists and he's averaging 16 points a game. But the Cavs' record was probably too much for him to overcome.

"He's the league leader in assists and he means so much to this basketball team and he deserves to make the All-Star team," said Cavs guard Bimbo Coles. "But there's a lot of politics in the voting, plus it didn't help that we're 13-30."

Miller said he's disappointed that he didn't make the team and he doesn't plan to stay up all night thinking about it.

"I'll spend the All-Star break sleeping," Miller said.

Back in town:

Former Cavs coach Randy Wittman returned to Gund Arena yesterday for the first time since the Cavs fired him last year. Wittman is now an assistant with Minnesota. He was 62-102 in his two years in Cleveland.

"I don't feel singled out," Wittman said. "A coach is supposed to win games, and when you don't win enough games for certain people, they'll fire you. Obviously, they thought we should be winning more games then we were. That's part of the job."

Wittman doesn't have any hard feelings toward the Cavs organization.

"I wish I was still here," Wittman said. "I didn't want to be released. I knew, we knew, that this team had growing to do. You have to have some patience when you're doing that, and change isn't part of that."

Super picks:

Overwhelming, the Cavs pick the St. Louis Rams to defeat New England in Sunday's Super Bowl. One player abstained from choosing a winner.

"I don't care who wins," said Lamond Murray, who grew up in the Bay Area. "Especially after what happened to my team." Murray was referring to the Oakland Raiders' controversial loss to New England two weeks ago.

Celebration:

DeSagana Diop, the Cavs' eighth pick in the 2001 draft, will celebrate his 20th birthday today. Diop said he doesn't have any plans.

"I haven't done anything special on my birthday since I've been in the states," Diop said. "At Oak Hill Academy, my coach's wife baked me a cake."

Asked whether coach Lucas' wife Debbie plans to bake him one, Diop said: "I don't know but that would be cool."

Cavs coach John Lucas said he hasn't slept since Jan. 3.

That wasn't just an idle date he tossed out. Cleveland's last victory came against Golden State on Jan. 2. The loss at Toronto that started the Cavs' current 12-game losing streak was on Jan. 4.

The team's longest skid since the Cavs dropped an NBA-record 24 in a row over the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons isn't just weighing heavily on the players.

In his first season in Cleveland, Lucas finds his mind besieged by thoughts of crucial plays and mistakes. Only three of the 12 losses have come by more than 10 points. Even including 32-, 29- and 26-point blowouts, the average margin of defeat in the slump has been 12.2 points.

``My biggest thing is I can go to one play and say, `That cost us the game' or I can say, `There's a mistake I might have made.' That one play has beaten us,'' Lucas said yesterday as the Cavs prepared to host Minnesota tonight at Gund Arena.

Lucas has found no rest even when he gives his players the day off, as he did Sunday.

``I woke up in the middle of the night, sat up in the middle of the bed and thought it was Tuesday already,'' he said. ``I slept about four hours.''

Lucas said the losing streak hasn't changed his coaching style, but it has changed his preparation.

``It's made me prepare even more for the upcoming team to make sure I haven't left any stones unturned,'' he said. ``I really feel like coaching-wise we've done a good job because we're in games. I just think we're young.

``We're watching film, there's more skull work. There's no extra running, no punishment. I don't see a group not competing or not listening. I see a group that's giving me all (it) can.''

The little things might be eating Lucas up inside, but the Cavs said he hasn't seemed more tense during the slump. Yesterday, Lucas clowned around by putting a basketball under his shirt and bribed the players with a $5 bill he took out of his pocket during a short scrimmage. He sent center Michael Doleac and guard Trajan Langdon to mid-court, giving them three shots to end practice early. After Doleac went 0-for-3, Langdon connected on his first attempt.

``I think he's done a good job making sure we keep confidence in ourselves,'' center/forward Chris Mihm said. ``I think he's done a good job of keeping an even keel, working us hard and trying to find a way from a coaching standpoint to get us out of this hole.''

Mihm wasn't fazed when Lucas smashed a clipboard to the floor and shattered it late in the first half of Saturday's 108-101 home loss to Boston. Celtics forward Antoine Walker missed a free throw, point guard Andre Miller didn't block him out and 7-footers Mihm and Doleac didn't move as Walker grabbed the rebound and put in a layup.

``He's fiery,'' Mihm said of Lucas. ``He was upset by it. It's nothing shocking. It's part of coaching.''

Miller, who admitted the clipboard-smasher was due to a ``bad lapse'' on his part, said Lucas hasn't let up.

``He's getting on us,'' Miller said. ``He's hungry for a win just like we are.''

HILL GOES DOWN -- Forward Tyrone Hill, on the injured list all season with back spasms, went down about a half hour into yesterday's practice. Hill was battling for a rebound when he landed on his back. He managed to return before the session was over.

``It tightened up a little bit, but I stretched and it kinda loosened back up,'' Hill said. ``I'm sure I'll be sore in the morning.''

Hill said his goal is to play in mid-February.

MILLER A LONG SHOT -- Miller didn't have his hopes up as coaches voted for All-Star Game reserves. The results will be announced today. Lucas planned to phone a few of his Eastern Conference peers with a proposition -- you vote for my guy, I'll vote for yours. In selecting two guards, two forwards, a center and two at-large picks, they were not allowed to choose their own players.

``He's leading the league in assists,'' Lucas said of Miller, averaging 10.2 per game. ``Up until a month ago he was shooting incredibly, about 48 percent, now he's down to about 43 (actually 44.9). I look at the growth in his game. Other coaches don't see that. I've got to go lobby for him. What hurts is Michael Jordan and (Allen) Iverson making it as guards. I'm going to try to call (in) some favors.''

Miller was not optimistic. Asked what he thought of his chances, he said, ``Slim, especially when we're in a 12-game losing streak. I put it out of my mind about a month ago.''

Tip-off: 7 tonight at Gund Arena.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Net Ohio; WTAM AM/1100.

Injuries: Cavs - Tyrone Hill (back), Lamond Murray (nose) and Jeff Trepagnier (right knee) are out. Timberwolves - William Avery (right knee) and Gary Trent (left ankle) are out.

Notable: The Cavs lost to the Celtics, 108-101, Saturday at Gund Arena - their 12th consecutive defeat. Andre Miller had 25 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds. Bryant Stith scored a season-high 20. Cavs are 9-11 at home. On Nov. 13 at Minnesota, the Cavs won, 107-103. . . . Minnesota is coming off a 103-80 home victory over Atlanta on Saturday.

Andre Miller is a talented point guard. He also is a realist.

Asked his chances of being named today to the Eastern Conference All-Star team as a reserve, Miller said, "Slim. Pretty slim."

The primary reason: Miller's team has won 13 and lost 30. The record appears even uglier because the Cavs are mired in a 12-game losing streak.

"Guys who are making those kind of [All-Star] teams are on winners," Miller said. "If we were winning, I'd have a pretty good chance."

Eastern Conference coaches submitted ballots yesterday for two guards, two forwards, one center and two at-large selections. Cavs coach John Lucas worked the phones to lobby for Miller, who is averaging 16.0 points and leads the NBA with 10.2 assists.

"I'm going to try to call in some favors," Lucas said.

Miller will need to overcome a traffic jam. Among the candidates for guard spots in the East are Jason Kidd of New Jersey, Tracy McGrady of Orlando, Jerry Stackhouse of Detroit, Ray Allen of Milwaukee and Paul Pierce of Boston.

"I think Andre has a legitimate shot," Lucas said. "If we had a few more wins, I think he'd have a real legitimate shot."

Saturday against Boston, Miller had 25 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds. It was his third career triple-double.

Scary moment:

Tyrone Hill, who has missed the entire season because of back trouble, crumpled to the floor during a scrimmage yesterday after a collision with Michael Doleac.

Hill writhed for several minutes, then left clutching his lower back. He later rejoined drills.

"I was real worried at first, because I hadn't had a hit like that in a while. . . . I'm just going to have to play through it at this point."

Hill said he hopes to be activated by mid-February.

Put me in, coach:

The shooting star of practice was Cavs associate coach Chuck Person, who knocked down long-range jumpers from everywhere. "Chuck was the poor man's Lamond Murray out there," Lucas said. "He's hollering 10-day [contract]."

Flipped out:

Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, in his seventh season, has not fared well against his hometown team. Saunders, who grew up in Cuyahoga Heights and was an All-American basketball player in high school, is 4-6 against the Cavs (258-225 vs. rest of league).