CLEVELAND — LeBron James scored 26 points, Kevin Love added 24 and the Cleveland Cavaliers stayed drama-free during a 113-104 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
Kyrie Irving celebrated his 24th birthday by flirting with a triple-double and Tristan Thompson added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, which increased its lead in the Eastern Conference to 2 1/2 games over Toronto, which lost 91-79 to Boston.
However, the Cavs didn’t put the Bucks away until the final minute, when J.R. Smith’s 3-pointer with 20 seconds left put Cleveland ahead 111-102.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 and Jerryd Bayless 15 to lead the Bucks, who lost for the fourth time in five games.
With projected No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons of LSU sitting courtside, Irving, the first pick in 2011, finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
It was a relatively uneventful night for the Cavs following three strange days.
On Monday, James unfollowed the Cavaliers’ account on Twitter, leading to speculation he was at odds with the organization. James acknowledged he had merely slipped into playoff mode — when he shuns social media — a little earlier than usual, but that didn’t stop Cleveland fans from worrying.
Then, on Wednesday, James was quoted in a Bleacher Report story saying he would take a pay cut to play in the future with good friend Carmelo Anthony.
Despite those distractions, the Cavs managed to play a solid all-around game to beat the Bucks, who were within 104-98 after a 3-pointer by Bayless.
Thompson, though, battled for two offensive rebounds and made a basket to give Cleveland an eight-point lead. Then, after Bayless scored on a layup, Smith made his third 3-pointer.
Love, who missed Cleveland’s previous game with a chest cold, looked better than he has in weeks.
Often hesitant to shoot, he knocked down consecutive 3-pointers as he and James combined to score Cleveland’s first 17 points in the third quarter.
Tip-ins
Bucks: Coach Jason Kidd praised Cavs coach Tyronn Lue, who took over when David Blatt was fired earlier this season. Kidd and Lue were teammates for a short period in Dallas. “I’m happy for him,” Kidd said. “He’s going to do a great job in Cleveland. He was a competitor on the floor. You look at his size, he competed. When you look at what he walked into, I think he’s going to come out very well.” … Antetokounmpo added six rebounds and six assists. He has four triple-doubles in his 16 games. … Finished with four blocks after recording 34 in their previous three games.
Cavaliers: James hasn’t watched any NCAA Tournament games, but he did see a replay of Texas A&M’s astounding comeback against Northern Iowa. “If I was on Northern Iowa, I would quit,” he said. “You’re up 8 (points) with 20-plus seconds, you up 5 with 10 seconds, I would quit.” … Simmons, who is leaving school after his freshman year, announced earlier in the day that he signed with Klutch Sports Group to represent him. Klutch, headed by agent Rich Paul, also represents James. … Cleveland has consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time since the Cavs won more than 60 in 2008-09 (66) and 2009-10 (61). … G Mo Williams, who has been out since Feb. 24 with a knee injury, should be available to play on Saturday in New York.
Up next
Bucks: At Atlanta on Friday.
Cavaliers: At Brooklyn on Thursday.
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