Game Preview – Saturday March 6, 2010 – Cleveland Cavaliers @ Milwaukee Bucks
Game Preview – Saturday March 6, 2010 – Cleveland Cavaliers @ Milwaukee BucksThe Cavaliers had a scare, but were able to make it 6 wins in a row last night, as they have held their opponents to 96.3 points per game over the streak. Their last 3 opponents, meanwhile, have been held to just 92.3 points per contest on 43.7% shooting from the field, while coughing the ball up 15 times per game. It is the Cavaliers’ 3rd 6 game winning streak of the season & their 7th over the past 2 seasons.
That scare came at the hands of the Detroit Pistons, who led the Clevelanders by as many as 21 points in the 2nd quarter. The Cavaliers were able to reverse their 3rd quarter curse, however, and trailed by just 2 entering the final frame, where they took control of the game. LeBron James led the way with 40 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, & 3 triple hits. It is his 8th 40 point game of the season, the 41st of his career, and the 13th time he’s done it with 10+ rebounds. LeBron also set the Cavaliers’ franchise record for minutes played, surpassing Big Z’s mark that he set earlier this season. Antawn Jamison gave the Cavs a lift to start the 4th quarter, giving them their 1st lead of the night, & finishing with 17 points & 3 steals on 7-13 shooting. Delonte West & Andy Varejao came off the bench & combined for 28 points on 12-17 shooting, with Andy adding 10 rebounds (his 9th double double of the season), and Delonte chipping in with 4 boards & 7 assists.
Milwaukee is coming off a 102-74 crushing of the Wizards in Washington. Carlos Delfino & Andrew Bogut led a well balanced attack against the Wiz, each going for 19 points on 8-14 shooting, with Bogut adding 10 rebounds & 5 blocks, and Delfino pulling down 6 rebounds & throwing in 3 from downtown. John Salmons had his 2nd lowest scoring game as a Buck, with 17, to go along with his 5 boards & 5 assists, while Luke Ridnour hit 5 of his 7 shot attempts for 13 points off the bench in the Bucks rout.
Saturday March 6, 2010
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Milwaukee Bucks
8:30 PM EST
FSN Ohio/WTAM 1100
The last time the Cavaliers lost to the Bucks, it was in this building 3/22/2008, a 108-98 loss.
Probable Starters:
Cleveland:
Mo Williams
Anthony Parker
LeBron James
Antawn Jamison
J.J Hickson
Milwaukee:
Brandon Jennings
John Salmons
Carlos Delfino
Luc Richard Mbah A Moute
Andrew Bogut
All-Time Series:
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Overall: Cleveland 75 (99.4 PPG) – Milwaukee 102 (102.1 PPG)
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LeBron era: Cleveland 18 (97.9 PPG) – Milwaukee 8 (94.1 PPG)
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The Cavaliers have won the last 6 meetings, including the last 3 meetings in Milwaukee
Last Meeting:
December 18, 2009: Cleveland 85 – Milwaukee 82.
The Cavaliers feel behind early & trailed by 2 at the half. They turned it on right out of the gate in the 2nd half, outscoring Milwaukee 24-12 in the 3rd to take a 10 point lead into the 4th quarter, where they had to hang on, as they scored just 2 points in the final 6:35 to squeeze out a 3 point win. LeBron James led the way with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, & 3 blocks, while Mo Williams added 17 points with a couple of triple hits. Delonte West chipped in with 12 points & 4 boards on 5-9 shooting, with Shaq & Andy Varejao combining for 15 points & 13 rebounds in the win.
Brandon Jennings & Ersan Ilyasova paced Milwaukee with 18 points apiece, with Ilyasova adding 7 rebounds, and Jennings 8 assists, although Jennings shot just 5-21 from the floor. Charlie Bell provided a spark off the bench with 16 points, as Milwaukee did get 34 bench points in the loss.
Hit the Century Mark:
Milwaukee is 24-9 when they hold their opponents to under 100 points. The Cavaliers are 38-2 when they score 100+ points.
Cleveland’s Highlight Performance:
February 20, 2009: Cleveland 111 – Milwaukee 103.
LeBron James: 16-29 FG; 8-11 3s; 15-22 FT; 55 Pts; 5 Rebs; 9 Assists; 6 Turnovers
Milwaukee’s Highlight Performance:
December 9, 2002: Milwaukee 140 – Cleveland 133 2 OT.
Sam Cassell: 12-22 FG; 2-4 3s; 13-17 FT; 39 Pts; 10 Rebs; 10 Assists; 2 Steals; 2 Turnovers
Make him work:
Brandon Jennings has been in a big time slump for a while now, but quick guards always give Mo Williams problems. Milwaukee is 16-12 when Jennings scores 17+ points this season. However, they are just 10-14 when he takes 17+ shot in a game. When Jennings has to shoot a lot to score his 17+ points, it usually means Milwaukee will have trouble getting their offense going.
Cleveland career stats vs. Bucks:
| Player | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | FT% | 3pt% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LeBron James | 25 | 41.4 | 30.1 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 49.3% | 72.9% | 37.3% |
| Jamario Moon | 8 | 23.8 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 41.2% | 87.5% | 33.3% |
| Anthony Parker | 13 | 30.2 | 10.9 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 55.4% | 87.1% | 48.2% |
| Mo Williams | 6 | 34.0 | 16.2 | 1.3 | 3.5 | 39.2% | 88.5% | 41.4% |
Milwaukee career stats vs. Cavaliers:
| Player | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Assists | FG% | FT% | 3pt% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Bogut | 14 | 33.0 | 11.4 | 9.1 | 1.1 | 45.5% | 63.6% | 0.0% |
| Ersan Ilyasova | 4 | 20.1 | 9.5 | 5.3 | 0.3 | 46.0% | 50.0% | 23.1% |
| John Salmons | 22 | 21.6 | 7.7 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 45.3% | 82.9% | 38.9% |
| Jerry Stackhouse | 37 | 34.4 | 18.1 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 36.5% | 81.4% | 26.9% |
Who’s Hot:
| Player | Time Period | Points | Rebounds/Assists | FG% | Misc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Bogut | 9 games | 16.8 | 11.0 RPG | 55.7% | 3.9 BPG |
| Primoz Brezec | Has played in last 2 games, after not playing in 7 of previous 9 | ||||
| Carlos Delfino | 4 games | 14.5 | 7.5 RPG | 50.0% | 43.5% 3pt |
| Royal Ivey | Has played in 7 out of 9 games as a Buck | ||||
| Luke Ridnour | 3 games | 11.7 | 4.3 APG | 70.0% | 100.0% 3pt |
| John Salmons | 4 games | 22.3 | 4.5 RPG | 54.2% | 42.9% 3pt |
| Jerry Stackhouse | 6 games | 13.2 | 3.2 RPG | 49.1% | 47.6% 3pt |
Who’s Not:
| Player | Time Period | Points | Rebounds/Assists | FG% | Misc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Bell | Has played in just 3 of the past 5 games, averaging 7.0 MPG | ||||
| Dan Gadzuric | Has not played since 2/17 | ||||
| Ersan Ilyasova | 4 games | 10.5 | 8.3 RPG | 41.7% | 11.1% 3pt |
| Brandon Jennings | 16 games | 9.9 | 5.7 APG | 29.7% | 28.8% 3pt |
| Luc Richard Mbah a Moute | 3 games | 3.3 | 2.0 RPG | 44.4% | 2.0 TOPG |
| Michael Redd | Out for season | ||||
| Kurt Thomas | 3 games | 0.7 | 4.7 RPG | 20.0% | 13.0 MPG |
Match-up to Watch:
Mo Williams vs. Brandon Jennings.
This will be a battle of offensive minded point guards who look to score. Quick guards give Mo a problem, so I expect a lot of Delonte West in this game to try & somewhat keep Jennings in check.
Rotation to Watch:
Jennings-Salmons-Delfino-Ilyasova-Bogut.
This group scores the 2nd most points per possession out of the top 20 5 man units for the Bucks, at 1.29, while allowing just 1.04 points per possession. They are +25 when on the floor together & have outscored their opposing 5some in every game they have appeared in.
What to Watch:
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LeBron James. He’s had some of the best games of his career against the Bucks, averaging almost 37 points per game against them last season, including a 55 point outburst in Milwaukee where he scored 16 points in less than 3 minutes at one point. He has 2 career 50 point games vs. the Bucks, 4 40 point games, and 14 30 point games.
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Bench. In the 1st meeting between these clubs, the Cavaliers went on a 29-0 run, 14 of those 29 by Delonte West, who has averaged 16.5 points on 61.1% shooting vs. the Bucks this season. Andy Varejao has also done some damage against Milwaukee, averaging 5.5 points & 9.5 rebounds per game, as the Cavalier bench has averaged 36.5 points per game vs. the Bucks this season.
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John Salmons. He has stepped up as one of the leaders on this Bucks team, and he is averaging 20.0 PPG since being acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline. He is playing almost 36 minutes a night & has stepped his game up since the trade, playing with more freedom in Milwaukee.
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Turnovers. It seems like I put this category in the “What to Watch” almost every game, but this game it will be a big what to watch. We all know how the Cavaliers are prone to turn the ball over with careless passing and rushing the offense. Not only is Milwaukee T7th in the NBA, averaging just 13.5 turnovers per game, but they also force their opponents to commit 15.6 turnovers per game, good for 3rd in the league. The Cavaliers cannot beat themselves in this one.
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Rebounding. Milwaukee is 5th in the NBA in rebounding, averaging 43.4 per game. However, they are 23rd in opponents’ rebounding, allowing 43.0 per game. Furthermore, Milwaukee is 19-6 when they outrebound their opponents.
*NOTE*: On behalf of myself & NumbersDon’t, I want to send our best wishes to Rodney Stuckey, who is spending overnight at the Cleveland Clinic in stable condition after the scare in Detroit’s game vs. the Cavaliers on Friday night.
Game Preview – Saturday March 6, 2010 – Cleveland Cavaliers @ Milwaukee Bucks
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Brian March 6th
Great preview as always. Cavs will have to defend from the opening tip tonight.
MoFloDeepintheQ March 6th
Thanks Brian!
Agree. Both teams are on back to backs, but the Cavs had to claw just to make it a game again, while Milwaukee cruised to an easy win against Washington.
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