NBA

Regular Season Round 52: Cleveland C. - Milwaukee B. 114-111 OT

Date: December 20, 2013
Kyrie Irving pushed himself so hard he nearly vomited while sitting on the bench in the fourth quarter. A flu bug couldn't stop him, and neither could the Bucks. Irving made four free throws in the final 21.5 seconds of overtime and finished with 39 points despite being sick, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 114-111 win over short-handed Milwaukee on Friday night. Irving spent the previous two days at home on the couch, trying to shake off an illness that flattened him. He missed practice on Thursday and almost sat out the game before deciding to leave his house about two hours before tip-off. The All-Star guard wound up playing 43 minutes and added six assists and four blocks while carrying the Cavs to their fifth win in six home games. "I'm tired," Irving said afterward. "I really just want to lay down right now." Earl Clark made a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 44 seconds left in OT, and Jarrett Jack added 17 points for Cleveland. Tristan Thompson had 15 rebounds for the Cavs, who were grateful Irving chose to play. "I wish he was sick more often," Jack joked. With Milwaukee down by three, O.J. Mayo missed two 3-pointers in the last 10 seconds that would have tied it. "I'll take them any time," Mayo said. "On the second one, I didn't know I had that much time left. I kind of rushed it, but I should have made it." Mayo had 20 points, John Henson 18 and Brandon Knight added 17 and a career-high 14 rebounds as the banged-up Bucks lost their fifth straight. It was the second straight tough defeat for Milwaukee, which lost in double-overtime to New York on Wednesday. Before the game, Irving said he spent the previous two days "in the same spot at home" as he tried to get well. "I just got to get through it," he said. "I'm just going to give it my all and live with the results." They turned out fine as he willed himself and his team past the Bucks, who came in with the NBA's worst record and were missing several key players because of injuries. However, Milwaukee was more than game and overcame an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter. "I was going to stay home," Irving said. "But a goal of mine this season is to play in all 82 games. That's always on the back of my mind. I just wanted to come out here and give what I could." Henson's two free throws gave Milwaukee a 96-94 lead late in regulation, but the Cavs forced OT on Thompson's tip-in of Irving's miss with 1.8 seconds left. Milwaukee had a final chance to win it in regulation, but Khris Middleton's 20-footer at the horn hit the front of the rim. Irving made two 3s early in the five-minute extra session, and when Jack knocked down a 3 with 1:46 left, it appeared the Bucks were done. But Middleton hit a 3-pointer, and after Irving made two free throws with 21.5 left, Mayo, back in the lineup after missing Wednesday's game for a family funeral, buried a 3 to pull the Bucks within 112-111. Irving then drew a foul on a drive and made both foul shots, and the Cavs held on when Mayo couldn't find the range in the closing seconds. "He's a great player," Knight said of Irving. "He's been doing his thing since he came into the NBA. He's always going to make plays." The Bucks only dressed nine. Caron Butler had been expected to return, but missed his 12th straight game with a sore right knee. It's been that kind of season for Milwaukee, which was also without Larry Sanders (broken hand), Gary Neal (plantar fasciitis), Ersan Ilyasova (sprained ankle), Carlos Delfino (foot surgery) and Zaza Pachulia (fractured foot). Although undermanned, the Bucks gave the Cavs all they could handle. "We're a team that's really banged up and very depleted," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "I'm proud of our guys that they've competed and played hard. But we're not going to be satisfied until we get over that hump." The Cavs, too, were not at full strength as guard Dion Waiters sat out with a sore wrist and rookie Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, had the flu. Courtesy of: utsandiego.com
  CLEVELAND C. (coach: Kenny Atkinson)114
  FIELD GOALS REBOUNDS   FOULS   BLOCKS  
#   NAME MIN 2PM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF RB AS F RV ST FV AG TO PT RNK +/-
8 oQLajD, KFQaR 38 66-62 (16.6%) 8-9 (82.1%) 66-68 (76.9%) 5 4 4 1 8 5 5 3 5 3 47 44 5
6 ziZV, ziQQRUU 42 3-64 (45.2%) 8-3 (05%) 4-4 (655%) 6 4 3 0 6 5 5 5 5 5 69 63 5
69 kiQRniI, SjdRQsIj 43 8-1 (44.4%) 5-5 (5%) 6-6 (655%) 1 9 64 6 0 5 6 4 5 8 0 68 5
44 GRR, SlIjJI 43 6-8 (05%) 5-0 (5%) 8-8 (655%) 6 9 2 5 8 5 8 5 5 8 3 3 5
5 balRs, C.z. 45 6-3 (80%) 4-3 (90%) 3-3 (655%) 5 8 8 4 4 5 5 6 5 8 60 68 5
64 whIBpsIj, wQasUij 87 3-68 (44.4%) 5-5 (5%) 8-4 (11.9%) 7 1 60 5 0 5 5 5 5 6 65 65 5
86 mFjuB, SjdQRT 83 4-63 (86.3%) 5-5 (5%) 8-8 (655%) 6 1 9 6 5 5 5 4 5 5 2 2 5
1 CliQV, qiQl 67 6-8 (05%) 3-1 (11.9%) 5-5 (5%) 5 4 4 5 8 5 6 5 5 6 63 68 5
7 gRlliLRdILi, biUUhRT 61 6-6 (655%) 5-8 (5%) 5-5 (5%) 5 6 6 8 8 5 6 6 5 5 8 4 5
35 cRllRQ, wFlRQ  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
  AaBs, HRjQF  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
  KiQisRL, ARQDRF  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
  yRlax, CiQQaZV  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
wIUil   82-98 (42.7%) 66-82 (47.4%) 80-89 (78.1%) 62 42 01 62 88 5 0 68 5 68 663 652  


  MILWAUKEE B. (coach: Doc Rivers)111
  FIELD GOALS REBOUNDS   FOULS   BLOCKS  
#   NAME MIN 2PM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF DEF RB AS F RV ST FV AG TO PT RNK +/-
88 baddlRUIj, KhQas 05 6-2 (68.0%) 3-9 (09.6%) 5-5 (5%) 5 9 9 6 3 5 5 5 5 6 63 9 5
46 HRjsIj, zIhj 49 9-68 (02.4%) 5-5 (5%) 3-3 (655%) 3 1 65 4 6 5 5 8 5 5 62 89 5
55 biFI, P.z. 41 4-65 (45%) 4-66 (89.4%) 0-1 (24.4%) 6 1 9 3 4 5 6 8 5 3 85 66 5
66 KjaDhU, mQijdIj 40 0-60 (44.4%) 6-0 (85%) 3-3 (655%) 6 64 63 2 6 5 4 6 5 5 69 82 5
0 tdIh, qVpR 82 3-9 (09.6%) 5-5 (5%) 8-8 (655%) 3 8 1 5 0 5 5 5 5 4 65 0 5
43 SjURUIVIujBpI, Gaijjas 84 6-8 (05%) 6-8 (05%) 6-8 (05%) 5 5 5 6 3 5 5 5 5 6 1 -6 5
64 eadjIuQ, vuVR 86 3-3 (655%) 6-3 (80%) 5-5 (5%) 6 4 3 8 6 5 6 5 5 5 66 63 5
1 WIlURQs, XiUR 62 4-9 (38.7%) 5-5 (5%) 8-8 (655%) 5 5 5 4 5 5 8 5 5 6 2 2 5
7 eidulnaZi, baQIsliL 69 8-1 (44.4%) 5-5 (5%) 4-0 (15%) 4 6 3 5 3 5 5 8 5 6 9 8 5
9 olFisILi, qQsij  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
89 OiZhulai, ciJi  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
4 muUlRQ, CiQIj  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
68 XRil, GiQF  gXO - CIiZh's gRZasaIj
wIUil   45-96 (38.4%) 65-87 (43.0%) 86-80 (23.5%) 63 42 08 88 84 5 9 9 5 66 666 656  



Terms:
Field Goals :  2PM-A  (2 point Field Goal made-attempts)     3PM-A  (3 point Field Goal made-attempts)   FTM-A (free throws made-attempt)
Rebounds : OFF (Offensive)  DEF (Defensive)   TOT  (total)
Fouls : CM (Committed)  RV (received)
Blocks : FV (In Favor)  AG (Against)
Other terms : MIN (minutes)  AST (assists)  ST (steals)   TO (Turnovers)   PTS (points)  RNK (ranking)