NBA Game Recap - Milwaukee at Cleveland
Wed Mar 20, 2019 7:00 PM EDT

BOS
115
PHI
118
F
NO
96
ORL
119
F
MIL
102
CLE
107
F
UTA
137
NY
116
F
HOU
125
MEM
126
F(OT)
WAS
120
CHI
126
F(OT)
MIA
110
SA
105
F
TOR
123
OKC
114
F(OT)
DAL
118
POR
126
F

Mar 20, 2019, 7:00 PM EDT

Final

1

2

3

4

T

Milwaukee

24

23

34

21

102

Cleveland

30

28

23

26

107

Sexton's 25 leads Cavs over bruised, Giannis-less Bucks
Wed Mar 20, 2019 11:04 PM

CLEVELAND (AP) Collin Sexton has left a sluggish, sometimes painful start to his pro career, behind him.

He's taking off, and he might just take the Cavaliers with him.

Sexton scored 25 points and became the first NBA rookie to score at least 23 in seven straight games since 1998 as Cleveland delayed Milwaukee from clinching the Central Division on Wednesday night with a 107-102 win over the bruised Bucks, who were without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Sexton made a 3-pointer with 1:42 left and dropped a driving layup one minute later as the Cavs held on for one of their signature wins in an otherwise dismal season.

Sexton's development has been one of the bright spots for the Cavs, who have undergone a coaching change and been riddled with injuries. His seven-game scoring streak is the longest for any rookie since Tim Duncan did it 21 years ago.

"That's what's up," Sexton said, smiling. "It's cool. He's a legend. We got the win against the No. 1 team, so that's even better."

The Bucks are staggering toward the end of what has been a special season. The Eastern Conference leaders were without Antetokounmpo, one of the top MVP candidates, who missed his second game in a row with a sprained right ankle. They were also down five other rotational players including starting guard Malcolm Brogdon (foot) and forward Nikola Mirotic (thumb).

Khris Middleton scored 26 points and Eric Bledsoe 24 for the Bucks, who couldn't wrap up their first division title since 2001. They were at a disadvantage as Antetokounmpo sat in warmups and watched from the end of Milwaukee's bench.

"When you don't come out on top it never feels good," coach Mike Budenholzer said. "The guys, the competitive fight they brought in not the easiest of circumstances, I'll take that any night."

Down 105-102, Milwaukee had a chance to tie it but had an ugly turnover without getting a shot off with less than 10 seconds remaining.

Cleveland's Kevin Love, who missed Monday's game in Detroit with a sore back, left in the third quarter with an apparent head injury. He banged into Bledsoe late in the second quarter and played just three minutes in the third before going to the locker room for evaluation.

The team did not have any further information on Love, who finished with 10 rebounds in 18 minutes.

"He didn't seem to be himself," coach Larry Drew said.

While the Bucks are nursing injuries, the Cavs were as close to full strength as they've been in months as Tristan Thompson returned after missing 26 games with a sore left foot. It was a rare chance for Drew to have three of his top frontcourt players in Thompson, Love and Larry Nance Jr., who had missed the previous five games with a chest bruise.

"It felt good having that many bodies," Drew said.

Middleton did all he could to carry the Bucks in the first half by scoring 18. But without enough support, he couldn't keep up with the better-balanced Cavs, who built a 16-point lead and went into the locker room at halftime leading by 11.

MILWAUKEE'S MASH UNIT

The Bucks were also without guards Sterling Brown (wrist), Donte DiVicenzo (heel), George Hill (groin) and center Pau Gasol (ankle).

Budenholzer dismissed a report that Mirotic, who got hurt during Tuesday's win over the Lakers, could be out for as long as a month. The Bucks did not provide a timeline in their release.

"These things can always change," he said. "In a perfect world, they're less. Sometimes they take longer. This is a little bit of a unique injury."

MARCH MADNESS

Since March 11, the Cavs have beaten Toronto, Detroit and Milwaukee - three probable playoff teams and in the Raptors and Bucks, the two top teams record-wise in the league.

"Since the All-Star break, we've been playing well," said Thompson, who had seven points and six rebounds in his first game since Jan. 16. "We've been playing well at home, beaten some good teams at home. I'd like to say if it was the NCAA Tournament, we'd definitely be a bubble team. We've got some good big wins."

TIP-INS

Budenholzer and Bledsoe were given technicals for arguing during the break between the first and second quarters. ... Antetokounmpo scored 44 with 14 rebounds in Milwaukee's win at Cleveland on Dec. 14. ... Dropped to 13-2 in the Central.

Cavaliers: Nance finished with seven points, a team-high five assists, two steals and two blocks. ... Although having Thompson on the floor would have certainly helped them win some games, Drew said the Cavs didn't push Thompson. "I was hoping we would have gotten him back sooner," Drew said. "But any time you are dealing with an injury, you can't rush players back. " ... G Matthew Dellavedova missed his seventh straight game with a concussion.

UP NEXT

Bucks: Host Miami on Friday.

Cavaliers: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

Leaders

Milwaukee PTS +/- AST REB ST BLK
K. Middleton 26 7 1 12 1 1
E. Bledsoe 24 4 8 8 2 0
Cleveland PTS +/- AST REB ST BLK
C. Sexton 25 -7 3 2 0 0
J. Clarkson 23 9 2 5 2 0

Team Comparison

MIL CLE
Points For 102 107
Field Goals 36/91-40% 39/93-42%
Three Pointers 13/32-41% 11/39-28%
Free Throws 17/21-81% 18/24-75%
Offensive Rebounds 11 13
Defensive Rebounds 40 41
Rebounds 58 61
Blocks 7 6
Steals 9 4
Turnovers 9 11
Points Scored Off Turnovers 12 10
Points in the Paint 32 44
Fast Break Points 10 12
Personal Fouls 16 17
Technical Fouls 2 0
Flagrant Fouls 0 0
Ejections 0 0

2018-19 Reg Season - MIL Leads Series 2-1

Date Result Away Pts Ldr Home Pts Ldr
Mon Dec 10 CLE 92 @ MIL 108 L. Nance 16 E. Bledsoe 20
Fri Dec 14 MIL 114 @ CLE 102 G. Antetokounmpo 44 J. Clarkson 23
Wed Mar 20 MIL 102 @ CLE 107 K. Middleton 26 C. Sexton 25

Game Information

Stadium: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 19,432
Game Time: 2:13