CHARLOTTE, N.C. - In their quest to become the first team to repeat as NFC South champions, the Carolina Panthers will lean heavily on healthy running back Jonathan Stewart.Stewart has run for 437 yards on 78 carries — a 5.6-yard average — in the past four games, helping Carolina vault back into first place in the NFC South.The Panthers (6-8-1) will play at Atlanta (6-9) on Sunday with the winner taking home the division title and securing a first-round home game in the playoffs.Hes gone through an awful lot with his ankles and health-wise, so for him to be at this point in the season and feel healthy like he is is really good for us, coach Ron Rivera said.That hasnt always been the case.Stewart missed 17 of 32 games the previous two seasons while battling ankle and knee injuries. He finished both seasons on injured reserve.Stewart came on to the NFL scene as a rookie in 2008, rushing for 836 yards and 10 touchdowns. He followed that by racking up 1,133 yards rushing and 10 more touchdowns the following season.Stewart, who has spent most of his career behind DeAngelo Williams on the Panthers depth chart, has never come close to matching those numbers since.This season he has a team-high 760 yards and three touchdowns, but his production down the stretch has the Panthers excited about their chances on Sunday — and possibly beyond.When hes healthy he is as good as there is, tight end Greg Olsen said. He can take a beating and he dishes it out pretty good. At the end of the game hes a guy the defence isnt really thrilled to tackle.Stewart only carried seven times for 24 yards in a backup role in Carolinas 19-17 loss to Atlanta on Nov. 19. Williams had 10 carries for 41 yards.Since then, hes run for 85 yards against Minnesota, 155 against New Orleans, 73 against Tampa Bay and 122 last Sunday against Cleveland. He also caught a fourth-quarter pass from Cam Newton for the go-ahead touchdown against the Browns, helping the Panthers win their third straight game and take control of their playoff destiny.Stewarts rise is partially related to the offensive line finding stability the past month and getting an opportunity with Williams sidelined with a broken right hand.Williams is back at practice wearing a cast on his hand, but Rivera is expected to stick with the hot hand in Stewart on Sunday.Stew(art) is hitting the holes, making the right reads and the offensive line is blocking their (butts) off too, fullback Mike Tolbert said. Hes a guy that has had opportunities during his career, but has had some ups and downs with injuries. Now he is getting his chance to shine and making the most of it.The 5-foot-10, 235-pound Stewart can be a punishing rusher with a hard running style, low centre of gravity and quick burst.And hes quite capable of a big game.His 206 yards rushing against the New York Giants in the 2009 regular-season finale stands as the second-highest single-game total in franchise history.Despite missing three games earlier this season with a knee injury, he has 390 rushing yards after contract this season, which is 18th-most in the NFL, according to STATS.Offensive co-ordinator Mike Shula said hes never seen the soft-spoken, piano-playing Stewart play better.Hes quiet, but when you see that look in his eye, he has a fire, Shula said. And when that gets lit, and it is lit right now, it is fun to be around him and watch him. He is running well and is tough to bring down.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Yeezy 350 v2 Store . 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After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91.(SportsNetwork.com) - Two of the Western Conferences postseason teams from a season ago tangle early in this campaign when the Portland Trail Blazers welcome the Dallas Mavericks to the Moda Center. Theyre a great team, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. Theyre a playoff team, and theyre a different team than what weve seen with the quality of their big men and their 3-point shooting ability straight across the board. Its a tough matchup, and thats always a very difficult place to play. The Mavs begin this mini road trip on a roll, winning three straight and vaulting into the league lead in scoring at 111.8 ppg. Dallas will also visit the Utah Jazz on Friday before returning home. The Mavericks reached 3-1 Monday night with a 118-113 victory at home over the Boston Celtics. Chandler Parsons scored 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting, but the Mavs nearly squandered a 26-point lead. Jeff Green and Avery Bradley fueled the Celtics comeback, totaling 35 and 32 points, respectively. Bradley had a chance to tie things at the free throw line with 39.5 seconds to go but only made two of his three attempts. Monta Ellis, after fouling Bradley behind the arc, ended Bostons 9-0 run with a tough runner off the glass to give Dallas a 116-113 lead. He made two more free throws to seal the win. They are scrappy and you know that they are going to continue to fight back, Mavs center Tyson Chandler said of the Celtics. Dirk Nowitzki netted 27 points with seven rebounds while Ellis added 14 points for the Mavs. Chandler posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards, while Devin Harris managed 12 points. The Mavss shot 53.dddddddddddd7 percent from the floor and 56 percent from long range. The Blazers got back on track Tuesday night. They halted a two-game slide with an emphatic statement game, a 101-82 home victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Needless to say, it was good to get a win, said Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts. But more importantly, it was how we got it, how we played. That looked like the team that we need to be. We withstood their barrage in the first quarter, stayed with our schemes and our coverages and the next 3 1/2 quarters, we did a great job defensively. We stuck with the defense and we got rhythm to the offense. It was a solid win at both ends of the court. The Cavs opened the game 10-for-10 from the field, but tailed off offensively. Cleveland never posted 20 points in the remaining three quarters and finished the contest with 13 points over the final 12 minutes. Damian Lillard busted out of his shooting slump with 27 points. He went 6- for-13 from the field, 5-for-10 from long range and 10-for-10 from the foul line. Its the same game that Ive been playing, said Lillard. The only difference was the shots just went in. It was pretty simple: just play the game. I thought we did a great job of moving the ball and everybody defended well. Wes Matthews (21), Robin Lopez (19) and LaMarcus Aldridge (16) finished in double figures. The Blazers also held the fabled James to just 11 points. The Mavs won two of three against the Blazers last season and have captured 10 of the last 15 meetings. Dallas is 12-6 in its last 18 in Rose City. ' ' '