, April 18 (UPI) -- LeBron James had 24 points and nine rebounds Wednesday as Cleveland beat Milwaukee 109-96 to secure the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Milwaukee trimmed a nine-point deficit after the first quarter to 54-51 at the half, but was outscored 55-44 in the second half.
Sasha Pavlovic had 21 points, four rebounds and five assists, while reserve Donyell Marshall had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers. Larry Hughes had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists for Cleveland, which enters the playoffs riding a four-game winning streak.
Earl Boykins led Milwaukee with 28 points and seven assists.
Ruben Patterson scored 19 points, while Charlie Bell scored 12, Maurice Williams 11 and Ersan Ilyasova 10 for the Bucks, who ended their season with four losses in their final six games.
The Bucks will miss the post-season.
