Bucks Take Victory in Final Seconds

*** With both teams’ stars watching from the sidelines, the completion of Wednesday’s matchup in Milwaukee was about as close as it gets. 

In a razor-tight contest that featured 12 ties and 13 lead-changes, the ultimate decision came down to the final seconds – or more accurately, the final tenths of a second -- with the Bucks eventually escaping with the 118-116 victory.

With 20 seconds to play in regulation, Milwaukee’s Kevin Porter Jr. drilled a 16-footer to give the Bucks a two-point lead. Dennis Schröder took the inbounds and, with time winding down, wound his way to the hoop, but his layup attempt grazed the front iron. Jarrett Allen grabbed the rebound and put back what would have been the game-tying shot as time expired. 

But upon review, the attempt was deemed to have come after the buzzer had sounded – and the shorthanded Cavaliers valiant effort fell just short at Fiserv Forum. 

Playing without Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and James Harden – who suffered a right thumb fracture in the previous evening’s win over New York – the surging Cavaliers went toe-to-toe with an equally hot Bucks team still missing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

With Cleveland’s headliners out of action, Jarrett Allen picked up the slack – leading both squads with 27 points and 11 boards, six off the offensive glass, adding two steals and a block.

“We didn’t play good defense down the stretch,” said Allen, who notched his ninth double-double in the last 10 games. “And even during the whole game, our defense wasn’t top notch like it usually is, and they took advantage of that. (Kevin Porter Jr.) hit a good shot over me and they just took it from there.”

But he was just one of the heroes who emerged in Wednesday’s thriller.

Dennis Schröder, making his first start as a Cavalier, followed up with 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-6 from long-range and 7-of-9 from the stripe, adding five assists and a steal. 

“We couldn’t keep them out of the paint,” lamented Schroder following the loss. “Kevin Porter Jr., in the fourth quarter, he touched the paint a lot. (Ryan) Rollins, as well. Just not enough stops to win the game.”

Jaylon Tyson jumped back into the starting lineup and notched his sixth double-double of the season, chipping in with 14 points and 10 rebounds, adding three dimes and two steals. Sam Merrill also rejoined the starting five after four straight off the bench – netting 14 points of his own to go with five boards and a pair of assists against the team that originally selected him with the final pick of the 2020 Draft. 

Keon Ellis, who Cleveland acquired along with Schröder just before the Deadline, was almost as good – doing it all in 29 outstanding minutes of work off the bench, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-8 from long-range, adding four boards, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot. 

Thomas Bryant chipped in with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting and Craig Porter Jr., getting his longest run in over two weeks, added eight points and a team-high nine assists, going 3-of-4 from the field in 22 rock-solid minutes of work off the bench. 

Neither team led by more than a dozen points at any point and the biggest margin in any quarter came in the final period, when the Bucks outscored Cleveland by just three. 

As a team, Milwaukee shot 54 percent from the floor and drilled 19 three-pointers. But the Cavaliers grabbed 16 offensive rebounds to just eight for the Bucks and made 27 trips to the stripe, compared the just five for Doc Rivers’ squad, which has now won eight of its last 10. 

Former Cavalier, Kevin Porter Jr. paced the Bucks with 20 points – including the game-winner – going 10-of-16 from the field while leading both t3eams with five steals in the win. Jericho Sims led Milwaukee with 11 boards off the bench. 

*** The Cavaliers wrap up their three-game roadie this weekend, beginning with a heavyweight matchup with the league-leading Pistons on Friday night in Motown. On Sunday, Cleveland tips off the month of March with a matinee meeting against the young Nets in Brooklyn before returning home for a rematch with Detroit on Tuesday night at Rocket Arena. After a rare four-day break, the Wine and Gold welcome the Celtics and Sixers to town for a big back-to-back next Sunday and Monday.