Gooden’s triple-double helps Bucks top Cavs
3/14/2012MILWAUKEE — Drew Gooden had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists for his second career triple-double, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-105 on Wednesday night.
Gooden completed the triple-double with a rebound near the end of the third quarter. Gooden also had a triple-double against the Cavaliers last April, marking the last time the Bucks had a player accomplish the feat.
Ersan Ilyasova had 22 points before fouling out for the Bucks, who have won four straight.
Kyrie Irving had 28 points for the Cavaliers, who lost their second in a row.
It was a significant win for the Bucks, who are battling the Cavaliers and New York Knicks for the No. 8 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
Guard Ramon Sessions played for Cleveland despite being linked to other teams in trade speculation.
The game capped a hectic 24 hours for the Bucks, who pulled off a major trade with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. Milwaukee sent 2005 No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to the Warriors in exchange for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and the expiring contract of Kwame Brown.
Ellis and Udoh can’t play for the Bucks until Bogut and Jackson complete their physicals with the Warriors’ medical staff, something that had not happened as of Wednesday evening. It remains to be seen whether the exams will be complete before Friday night, when the Bucks play at the Warriors.
Ellis and Udoh were introduced in a news conference before the game, then drew applause from the crowd when they were shown on the scoreboard video display during a timeout in the first quarter.
Milwaukee led 84-78 going into the fourth, then began the quarter with a 6-0 run. Milwaukee took a 90-78 lead on an acrobatic driving layup by Ilyasova with 9:51 left. Cleveland’s Samardo Samuels hit a jumper to stop the run.
With Milwaukee later leading by nine, Mike Dunleavy hit a 3-pointer to put the Bucks up 97-85 with just under seven minutes left.
Irving kept the Cavs in the game, completing a three-point play to cut the Bucks’ lead to 102-93 with 5:24 left. But Ilyasova answered with a layup on an assist from Dunleavy, putting the Bucks up by 11.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored on a baseline layup for Milwaukee — then Jennings came up with the ball on the other end and threw a long outlet pass to Mbah a Moute, who slammed it home for a 108-93 Bucks lead with 3:56 left.
NOTES: Mbah a Moute came off the bench for the Bucks after playing only eight minutes in the past five games because of right knee soreness. ... A fan hit a half-court shot for a $10,000 prize at halftime. ... “Squad Six,” the cheering section founded by Bogut, was present for Wednesday’s game despite the Bogut trade.