Notebook: Bucks 113, Cavs 112

Posted Saturday February 11, 2012 12:47AM

By Brian Dulik, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Center Drew Gooden scored six of his 19 points in overtime and took a critical charge with 11.8 seconds left, allowing the Milwaukee Bucks to escape with a 113-112 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Point guard Brandon Jennings had a team-high 24 points and eight assists for Milwaukee, which rallied from a 15-point deficit for the road triumph. Cleveland power forward Antawn Jamison collected a season-best 34 points and 11 rebounds, but missed two free throws with 3.7 seconds remaining in regulation that sent the teams to OT tied at 102-102.

QUOTABLE: "This was a crazy game. We played horrible, but we got the win. Drew came off the pick-and-roll and was open like two straight plays to start OT, and he made some big shots right away. Then he took that charge at the end [on Cavaliers shooting guard Daniel Gibson]. He was big for us tonight."
-- Bucks guard Brandon Jennings

THE STAT: Jamison was held scoreless over the final 7:34, going 0-of-2 from the field and 0-of-2 from the foul line to spoil his best game of the season. Bucks power forward Luc Mbah a Moute did a masterful job guarding him and clogging the paint during that span. "I was just trying to make it tough for him," Mbah a Moute said. "We figured that if we stop him, we pretty much have them under control." Jamison finished the contest 14-for-21 on field goal attempts, 2-for-3 beyond the arc, and 4-for-8 on free throws in a season-high 44 minutes.

TURNING POINT: With Milwaukee leading 110-108 and 18.8 seconds left in OT, the Cavaliers called timeout to set up a play for Gibson. When Gibson dribbled down the middle of the lane, Gooden planted himself in front of the no-charge circle, absorbed the impact, and drew the foul. Gibson's charge forced Cleveland to send the Bucks to the foul line, where Jennings made 1-for-2 and Gooden buried 2-for-2 to lock up the win. Alonzo Gee made a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Cavaliers. "We did it as a team down the stretch," Gooden said. "I'm just happy we won tonight."

QUOTABLE II: "We feel like we put in enough effort and played hard enough to win, but we came out on the other side. It's tough to swallow, but we'll learn from it and grow, and we'll be better from it."
-- Cavaliers shooting guard Daniel Gibson

HOT: Bucks power forward Ersan Ilyasova returned after missing one game with back spasms and scored 12 points in 30 strong minutes off the bench. ... Cavaliers point guard Ramon Sessions had a season-high 16 assists, which was the most by a Cleveland player since Andre Miller had 16 against Atlanta on April 13, 2002. ... Jamison is averaging 26.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in his last four games. ... Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson grabbed a game- and career-high 13 rebounds and had three thunderous blocked shots. Thompson, the No. 4 overall pick in the NBA Draft, had sat out the previous four contests with a sprained left ankle.

NOT: Milwaukee small forward Carlos Delfino missed 10 of his 12 field-goal attempts, going 1-for-9 on two-point tries. ... The Cavaliers were 7-for-15 (46.7 percent) on free throws in the fourth quarter and OT. ... Sessions was 4-for-16 from the field and had a game-high five turnovers, while Thompson was 2-for-8 on field goals and 1-for-3 on free throws. ... ... Cleveland allowed five points in the final 4.5 seconds of the second quarter, including a 34-footer by Delfino at the buzzer. ... The Cavaliers squandered a 17-2 lead to start the game by being outscored 25-8 in the next 6:06. Cleveland also blew an 87-79 advantage it held early in the fourth.

QUOTABLE III: "This was a very disappointing loss. Our guys continued to battle and played their butts off, so it's just a disappointing loss."
-- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott

GOOD MOVE: Bucks coach Scott Skiles picked up two technical fouls and was ejected with 2:46 left in the third quarter after a no-call on a Gooden jumper. Milwaukee trailed 83-73 at the time, but rallied behind assistant Jim Boylan to outscore the Cavaliers 29-19 over the remainder of regulation. "I had made the decision a few minutes earlier that if there was a close call, I was gonna go [get thrown out] tonight," Skiles said. Gooden was grateful for his coach's actions, saying, "Coach stood up for me, and I told him how happy I was that he did that."

BAD MOVE: The Cavaliers -- already without two starters in point guard Kyrie Irving (concussion) and shooting guard Anthony Parker (lower back strain) -- lost its leading rebounder at the 9:01 mark of the third. Center Anderson Varejao suffered a sprained right wrist when he was struck by Bucks swingman Mike Dunleavy Jr. on a shot. X-rays were negative, but Varejao's wrist was placed in a brace and he did not return. "Andy is having a great year, so I'm hoping everything is OK with him," said Gooden, who played with Cleveland from 2004-2008.

NOTABLE: Irving is listed as "day-to-day," but has already been ruled out of playing Saturday when the Cavaliers host Philadelphia. The No. 1 overall draft pick was at Quicken Loans Arena and appeared to be in good spirits. ... The statuses of Varejao and Parker also are scheduled to be updated before the 76ers game. ... Cleveland's 33 assists were a season high. ... Gibson made a modest run at his first triple-double with 17 points, six rebounds and eight assists. ... Gee scored 18 points and made three 3-pointers off the bench. ... Cavaliers assistant coach Jamahl Mosley earned his first NBA technical for barking at the officials in the third. ... Six Bucks reached double figures in points: Jennings (24), Gooden (19), Ilyasova (12), Dunleavy (12), and shooting guards Shaun Livingston (13) and Stephen Jackson (10).

UP NEXT: For the Bucks, Saturday vs. Orlando, Monday vs. Miami, Wednesday vs. New Orleans. For the Cavaliers, Saturday vs. Philadelphia, Wednesday vs. Indiana, Friday vs. Miami.