CLEVELAND -- For the second time in as many games, the Cleveland Cavaliers shared the basketball instead of drama. Now with 11 games left in the regular season, the top team in the East is hoping their charitable ways continue.
Kevin Love returned to the lineup with 24 points and 10 rebounds on a night all three stars excelled in Wednesday's 113-104 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. LeBron James had 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds and Kyrie Irving had 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists on his 24th birthday for the Cavaliers, who have won four of their last five.
The Cavs followed their season-high 38 assists in Monday's win against the Denver Nuggets by passing for 29 more Wednesday.
"I thought we moved the ball very well," coach Tyronn Lue said. "When we do that, we're tough to beat."
Related
Tristan Thompson grabbed three offensive rebounds on one possession late in the fourth quarter, corralling rebounds after a missed dunk by James and a pair of missed 3-pointers. Thompson finally tapped it in himself after the third rebound, giving the Cavaliers a 106-98 lead with 2:43 left. Thompson had 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench before J.R. Smith's 3-pointer with 20 seconds left extended the lead to 111-102, sealing the victory.
"Tristan was just being Tristan," Lue said. "He always gives us that energy we need."
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Bucks and Greg Monroe had 14 points. Khris Middleton had 11 assists, but the Bucks have lost three straight and four of their last five.
Coach Jason Kidd blamed his team's inability to corral Thompson, whose five offensive rebounds continued a disturbing trend for the Bucks.
"That's something that has been a problem for us all year," Kidd said. "They had two or three shots we got the stops but didn't get the rebound and they convert on those plays. I think it just comes down to effort -- being able to get the effort to finish plays well. We do that on the offensive end. We've got to find a way to do it on the defensive end."
Love missed one game with a head and chest cold that bothered him for about a week and broke out of a shooting funk that has plagued him since the All-Star break. Love began the night shooting 39 percent, including 25 percent from the 3-point line. He shot 8 of 14 Wednesday, although all six of his misses were 3-pointers. He ended the night 4 of 10 from 3-point range.
"It's a mentality. More than anything, confidence plays a huge part in this league," Love said of his recent struggles. "Just continue to breed that with the work that I put in and put myself in good spots on the floor because I've had the shots, just some of them haven't been falling."
The Cavaliers have simplified their defense in recent days, but the Bucks cut right through it to shoot 54 percent. They scored 87 points entering the fourth, but went scoreless for nearly the first four minutes as the Cavaliers turned a four-point lead into a 10-point lead in the fourth before the Bucks could score.
The win cooled what has been a curious week for the team atop the East. The Cavs have battled chemistry problems all season, then James made headlines this week by unfollowing the Cavs' Twitter account. James told Bleacher Report in a story released Wednesday he wants to play on the same team with his three best friends in the league -- Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony -- before any of the foursome retires.
"It would definitely be cool if it happened, but we don't know how realistic it could be to have us four," James said of the idea following Wednesday's win. "If you got an opportunity to work with three of your best friends, no matter what. It's not even about sports, it's about being around guys that you don't even have to say nothing, you automatically know. We just have that type of history. Can it happen? I don't know if it can even happen but it would be cool."
NOTES: Bucks coach Jason Kidd was a teammate of Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue briefly in Dallas. "He's going to do a great job," Kidd said. "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." ... Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo has 19 triple-doubles this season after totaling 12 in his first two NBA seasons. ... Bucks reserve John Henson on Tristan Thompson's three offensive rebounds on one possession: "That's who he is. That's why he's paid the big bucks." ... Cavaliers F LeBron James on Northern Iowa's stunning collapse against Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament: "I would quit basketball. ... You up eight with 20-plus seconds, you up five with 10 seconds? I would quit."
