In brief: Cavs send Lakers to break on slide

NBA: The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their third straight game, a stunning 104-99 loss Wednesday night to the host Cleveland Cavaliers.

Ramon Sessions came off the bench and scored a season-high 32 points for the Cavaliers.

Pau Gasol had 30 points and 20 rebounds for the Lakers, who committed 19 turnovers.

Kobe Bryant finished with 17 points as the Lakers wrapped up a seven-game road trip.

• Aldridge leads Blazers over Hornets: LaMarcus Aldridge scored 34 points and the Trail Blazers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the New Orleans Hornets 103-96 in Portland for their season-high sixth straight victory.

• Bobcats make Silas official: The Charlotte Bobcats removed the interim tag from coach Paul Silas, rewarding him with a one-year extension after he helped get Charlotte (24-32) into playoff contention following a miserable start (9-19) under Larry Brown.

• Gay sidelined with shoulder injury: Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay will miss at least four weeks with a partially dislocated left shoulder.

Bearcats earn upset of No. 16 Cardinals

Men’s basketball: Cashmere Wright scored 20 points, Sean Kilpatrick added 18 and Cincinnati (20-6, 7-6 Big East) bolstered its NCAA tournament resume with a 63-54 victory over visiting No. 16 Louisville (19-7, 8-5).

Yancy Gates added eight points and six rebounds for the Bearcats, who reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2006.

• Walker leads UConn over Georgetown: Kemba Walker had 31 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds to lead No. 13 Connecticut (20-5, 8-5 Big East) over No. 9 Georgetown 78-70 in Hartford, Conn., snapping the Hoyas’ (20-6, 9-5) eight-game winning streak.

Stoll guides Kings past Blue Jackets

NHL: Jarret Stoll had the only goal in the shootout, leading Los Angeles past the Blue Jackets 4-3 in Columbus, Ohio.

The Blue Jackets forced overtime on Kris Russell’s goal with 1:23 left in regulation.

• Blackhawks coach hospitalized: Assistant Mike Haviland will take the reigns for the Blackhawks as coach Joel Quenneville is in stable condition after being admitted to a Chicago hospital with an undisclosed illness.

Physicians stated that it was not cardiac related.

• Ducks place Hiller on IR: Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller will miss at least three games after being placed on the injured reserve with a recurrence of the dizziness and fatigue that has plagued him since the All-Star break.

• Avalanche without leading scorer: Colorado will be without leading scorer Matt Duchene indefinitely due to a hand injury.

Pujols deadline passes without deal

Baseball: The deadline Albert Pujols set for the St. Louis Cardinals to reach a new contract agreement passed with no deal, making it likely the three-time MVP will become a free agent after the World Series. The Cardinals said they will respect Pujols’ wishes and not request more talks during the season.

The Cardinals would not reveal their offer, though it was believed to be somewhere around $200 million for eight years.

• Weeks, Brewers agree to deal: The Milwaukee Brewers and second baseman Rickie Weeks agreed to a $38.5 million, four-year contract that contains a 2015 option which could increase the total value to $50 million.

• Rangers pitcher Beltre needs surgery: Texas Rangers pitcher Omar Beltre has been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a genetic narrowing of the spine, and will have surgery next Tuesday.

• Bautista, Jays reportedly reach $65 million deal: A person familiar with the negotiations says the Toronto Blue Jays and major league home run leader Jose Bautista have reached an agreement on a five-year, $65 million contract.

The 30-year-old Bautista led the majors with 54 homers last season and was eligible for arbitration.

Armstrong officially ends comeback

Cycling: Lance Armstrong has officially ended a comeback that was dogged by an ongoing federal investigation into allegations of performance- enhancing drug use and other improprieties during his seven-win run at the Tour de France. The 39-year-old Texan first retired in 2005 and said this time he means it.