Wrap-Up – The Cavaliers trailed by seven, 102-95, with under two minutes to play before Kyrie Irving capped a furious comeback – tying the game at 102-apiece with 0.7 seconds to play. But Brandon Jennings drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Milwaukee the 105-102 win on Saturday at the Bradley Center. Irving led the Wine and Gold with 27 points. Anderson Varejao turned in another big effort with 20 points and 17 boards and Alonzo Gee added 18 points and six assists.
Turning Point – With Mike Dunleavy and the Bucks torching the Cavs on the perimeter, Coach Scott went with a small lineup in the final three minutes of regulation, inserting Boobie Gibson for Tristan Thompson. From that point, the Cavaliers went on a 7-0 run to tie the game. But Jennings shot put an end to best-laid plans.
Game Ball – Kyrie Irving – As well as Anderson Varejao played, it was Irving acting again as the team’s closer – taking over in the final period, where he scored 13 of his team-high 27 points, including the game-tying layup. The sensational sophomore added seven assists, four boards and a pair of steals.
By the Numbers – 24.351 … Average age of the Cavaliers, making them the fourth-youngest team in the NBA behind Houston (23.357), New Orleans (24.251) and Denver (24.336).
Quotable – Byron Scott on the slow-starting clock on Milwaukee’s final possession …
“I don’t want to get fined, so I’m not going to say anything about the clock starting late on the last shot. They have to figure out a way to do something about that. Bottom line is it doesn’t count or you have to take it out again. Looking at it again in the locker room a couple of times, the shot shouldn’t have counted. The clock started too late”
Seen and Heard – In a court-level lounge at the Bradley Center, there are several large photos of famous former Bucks, including one of Cavaliers assistant Paul Pressey scoring over the Lakers. In the corner of the photo is a young Byron Scott. When told about the photo – Pressey scoring against the Lakers – Scott’s competitive spirit immediately came through, with Coach saying, “He wasn’t scoring on me!”
Up Next –The Cavaliers head West to L.A. where they’ll face Blake Griffin and the Clippers on Monday at Staples Center. They stay in Cali for a Wednesday contest against the Warriors on Wednesday and close out the week on Friday in Phoenix.