Bucks-Cavaliers Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Dec 13 2012 12:47PM

A visit to Cleveland should provide the Milwaukee Bucks with a good opportunity to extend their winning streak to a season-high four games.

The Bucks can accomplish that feat with a ninth consecutive victory over the Cavaliers on Friday night.

Milwaukee (11-9) has not trailed over the final three quarters in any of its last three games, holding opponents to averages of 88.7 points and 40.7 percent shooting. The Bucks never fell behind Wednesday in a 98-85 win over Sacramento, using a 12-2 run over the third and fourth quarters to take a 15-point lead and control of the game.

Brandon Jennings scored 19 points and Monta Ellis added 17 with 11 assists as Milwaukee overcame a 40.6-percent shooting effort. Off to their best 20-game start since opening 12-8 in 2005, the Bucks held a Kings' squad minus big man DeMarcus Cousins to 37.2 percent from the field and pulled down a season-high 60 rebounds.

"Neither team played well," coach Scott Skiles told the Bucks' official website. "You have to win those games. Make enough plays to win."

Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points and a season-high 14 rebounds while Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored 17 in his first start of the season for Milwaukee, which won without starting forwards Larry Sanders (illness) and Epke Udoh (wrist sprain) or key reserves Mike Dunleavy (bruised knee) and Beno Udrih (ankle sprain).

While it's uncertain if any of those players will return Friday, the Bucks should still feel confident they can continue their dominance over the Cavaliers (5-18).

Milwaukee has averaged 110.1 points and shot 51.9 percent during an eight-game winning streak over Cleveland that dates to an 83-81 road loss Nov. 24, 2010. Only the Bucks' run of 12 straight wins versus Brooklyn is currently longer against an opponent. Ellis had 29 points, 12 rebounds and six assists while Jennings scored 13 with 13 assists in a 105-102 home win over the Cavaliers on Nov. 3 in the teams' only meeting this season.

Jennings has totaled 52 points and 14 assists in the last two at Cleveland.

One night after the Cavs snapped a five-game slide with a 100-94 home win over the struggling Los Angeles Lakers, they blew a 16-point first-half lead and totaled 23 in the second half of a 96-81 loss at Indiana on Wednesday. C.J. Miles posted his second straight 28-point game, but star Kyrie Irving was held to nine on 4-of-12 shooting as Cleveland shot a season-low 33.3 percent.

"We have to learn as a young team to know how to carry a lead like we had into the second half," said Irving, who scored 28 against the Lakers in his return from missing 11 games with a broken finger. "As the leader of this team, I have to do a better job of settling us down and making that happen."

Irving has averaged 28.0 points on 59.3 percent shooting in three games against the Bucks. He had 27 with seven assists at Milwaukee last month.

A starter the last two games, Miles is averaging 21.0 points in the last four.

Ellis leads Bucks past Cavaliers 90-86

Posted Dec 14 2012 11:24PM

CLEVELAND (AP) The short-handed Milwaukee Bucks needed someone to step up Friday night.

Monta Ellis gave them his best game of the season.

Ellis scored a season-high 33 points and the Bucks recorded their season-high fourth straight win with a 90-86 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Monta obviously had a hot hand and kept us in it offensively," Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. "He obviously had it going."

Ellis, who scored 20 points in the second half, was 12 for 24 from the field and was at his best late. He scored 10 points in the final 6 minutes of the third quarter after the Cavaliers took a brief lead and then held off Cleveland's last charge in the fourth quarter.

C.J. Miles' 3-pointer cut the lead to 80-78 with 5:26 to play, but Ellis scored on a layup, hit two free throws and made a jumper to stretch the lead to 86-80 with 2:41 remaining.

"I just took what the defense gave me, it was pretty simple," he said. "I tried to come off screens and make a play for myself or for someone else."

The Bucks, who recorded their ninth straight victory over the Cavaliers, left three players in Milwaukee because of injuries. Three others were either coming off an injury or an illness that's been going around the team.

Kyrie Irving scored 26 points to lead Cleveland, which committed a season-high 27 turnovers. The Cavaliers have lost seven of eight and 11 of 13.

Cavaliers coach Byron Scott admitted this was probably the most frustrated he's been over a loss all season and couldn't explain his team's lack of energy.

"I have no idea," Scott said. "If I knew that I'd bottle it up and make a lot of money because I have no idea. We had a good day this morning going through stuff, a day off yesterday, so there's no reason in the world to come out with a lack of energy."

Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao, the league's leading rebounder, left the game in the first half after sustaining a contusion to his lower left leg. X-rays taken at halftime were negative and Varejao came back in the game early in the third quarter. He had eight points and 18 rebounds.

Irving played 36 minutes despite taking a nasty fall in the first quarter when he was knocked to the court on a hard foul while going to the basket. He drove down the lane and was defended by Luc Mbah a Moute and Larry Sanders. Mbah a Moute was called for the foul, but it was a hit from Sanders that leveled Irving, who landed on the left side of his face. He was down for a couple of minutes, but got to his feet and took the free throws, making both.

Irving was removed at the end of the quarter and sat on the bench with a towel on his face, but played his usual number of minutes. A team spokesman said Irving underwent a precautionary examination following the game, but would accompany the team to New York for Saturday's game against the Knicks.

Brandon Jennings added 16 points for the Bucks. Sanders (sinus infection) and Ekpe Udoh (sprained left wrist), who both missed Wednesday's game against Sacramento, returned. Sanders had 10 points and 10 rebounds while Ersan Ilyasova had 11 points.

Milwaukee never trailed in the first half and built a 16-point lead in the second quarter. The Bucks led 52-43 at halftime, but Irving scored nine points in the first 4 minutes of the third quarter to help the Cavaliers rally. Miles hit two free throws with 6:30 remaining in the third quarter to put Cleveland ahead 57-56, the Cavaliers' first lead of the game.

Miles scored 17 points for Cleveland, which has lost 17 of 20. The Cavaliers broke a five-game losing streak by beating the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, but have dropped their last two.

A moment of silence was observed before the game for the victims of the shooting incident at an elementary school in Newton, Conn.

NOTES: Rookie G Doron Lamb, who has had the flu, arrived in Cleveland on a 4 p.m. flight and played 6 scoreless minutes in the first half. ... G Beno Udrih (sprained right ankle), F Tobias Harris (lacerated right elbow) and G Mike Dunleavy (bruised left knee) all remained in Milwaukee. ... Cleveland G Dion Waiters (sprained left ankle) missed his seventh straight game. Scott said Waiters won't play Saturday against New York, but is expected to return Tuesday when Cleveland hosts Toronto. ... F Omri Casspi missed his second straight game with the stomach flu.

Notebook: Bucks 90, Cavaliers 86

Brian Dulik, For NBA.com
Posted Fri Dec 14, 2012 11:58 PM - Updated Fri Dec 14, 2012 11:58 PM

THE FACTS: Shooting guard Monta Ellis scored 20 of his season-high 33 points in the second half as the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 90-86 Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena. Point guard Brandon Jennings added 16 points and a game-best eight assists for the Bucks (12-9), who extended their season-long winning streak to four in a row. Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving scored 26 points, while center Anderson Varejao collected eight points, a game-high 18 rebounds and four assists. Milwaukee has won nine straight games over Central Division rival Cleveland (5-19).

QUOTABLE: "I just took what the defense gave me, it was pretty simple. I tried to come off [screens] and make a play for myself or for someone else. But it wasn't just me. We're really jelling as a team now and we're all helping each other."

-- Bucks shooting guard Monta Ellis

THE STAT: The Cavaliers committed 27 turnovers, which was the most in the NBA in a regulation game this season. It also equaled the high-water mark for Cleveland since Jan. 17, 2003 at Denver, when Cleveland made 28 miscues. Irving led the way with six turnovers, while shooting guards C.J. Miles and Daniel Gibson, as well as center Tyler Zeller had four apiece. "When you come out with a lack of energy and the lack of effort that we came out with, and you commit 27 turnovers, you're not going to win a whole lot of games," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said.

TURNING POINT: After the Cavaliers erased a 16-point deficit to take a 59-58 lead midway through the third quarter, Ellis took over. He immediately buried a bank shot to give the Bucks the lead for good, then added a long 3-pointer and a driving layup as part of a personal 7-0 run. "Monta [Ellis] obviously had a hot hand and kept us in it offensively tonight," Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said. "He really had it going." Ellis, who scored 11 points in the final 6:12 of the third to put the Bucks up by double digits, wound up with 33 points, six rebounds, four assists and six turnovers.

QUOTABLE II: "We mentioned from day one about protecting our home court. We mention it before almost every home game about giving everything we've got for the great fans we have here, but it's just not registering right now."

-- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott

HOT: The Bucks' four-game winning streak is their longest since April 2-7, 2012; it also brings their record to 6-5 on the road on the season, and moved them into a first-place tie with Chicago atop the Central Division. ... Milwaukee power forward Luc Mbah a Moute collected nine points, seven rebounds, a career-high six assists and a game-best four steals. "I thought [my career-high for assists] was higher than that," he said, laughing. "I have to work on that." ... NBA rebounding leader Varejao now has 15 games with at least 15 boards this season. The rest of the Cavaliers have a total of one combined. ... In four career games against the Bucks, Irving is averaging 27.5 points and 5.0 assists.

NOT: The Cavaliers are 1-7 in their last eight games, 2-11 in their last 13 contests and 3-17 in their last 20 games. ... Cleveland is 3-7 at home this season. ... Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson had a third-quarter hoop wiped out after a video review during the next timeout. The second-year pro finished with five points on 1-for-5 shooting, making him 3-for-12 from the floor with 10 points over his last three games. ... Cleveland point guard Jeremy Pargo, who made 11 starts while Irving was injured, was a DNP. ... Jennings missed 15 of his 20 field goal attempts for the Bucks, including going 2-for-9 on 3s.

QUOTABLE III: "Monta was really aggressive with the ball against them, but we all were aggressive in building a lead in the first half. But the biggest thing was we picked up more defensively in the second half. We played great on defense."

-- Bucks power forward Ersan Ilyasova

GOOD MOVE: Cavaliers fans greeted Bucks power forward Drew Gooden with a chant of "Drewwwww" when he was introduced. Gooden, who averaged 11.9 points and 8.6 rebounds in 292 games with Cleveland from 2004-2008, is one of the most beloved former Cavaliers. "I have so many great memories from Cleveland," Gooden said. "Those playoff battles with Detroit, especially the series that we won to advance to the [2007] NBA Finals, were the highest level of basketball I've ever been part of." Gooden played eight minutes, scoring two points with three rebounds.

BAD MOVE: The Cavaliers were careless with the basketball from start to finish -- despite hosting a Bucks team that was vulnerable and without point guard Beno Udrih (right ankle sprain), small forward Tobias Harris (right elbow laceration), and shooting guard Mike Dunleavy Jr. (left knee bruise). Milwaukee shooting guard Doron Lamb (flu), and centers Larry Sanders (sinus infection) and Ekpe Udoh (left wrist sprain) did play, but were limited. "The key to the game was getting off to a good start tonight because we were short of bodies," Mbah a Moute said.

NOTABLE: Cavaliers shooting guard Dion Waiters (left ankle sprain) missed his seventh game in a row, but is expected to play Tuesday against Toronto. The fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft was injured on Dec. 1 in a double-overtime loss to Portland. ... Cleveland small forward Omri Casspi (stomach flu) sat out his second straight game. ... Varejao left the game in the second quarter with a bruised left lower leg, but X-rays were negative and the Brazilian Olympian returned to the court early in the third.

UP NEXT: For the Bucks, Saturday vs. L.A. Clippers, Tuesday vs. Indiana, Wednesday @ Memphis. For the Cavaliers, Saturday @ New York, Tuesday vs. Toronto, Wednesday @ Boston.

• Bucks: Harris, Udrih
• Cavaliers: Leuer, Waiters

• Bucks: --
• Cavaliers: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #56 Mark Ayotte, #65 Sean Wright
• Attendance: 14146
• Duration: 2:05