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The Cavs dominated on the road tonight, earning a blowout victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. The team is looking to round into playoff form, and tonight they looked ready to make quick work of the Bucks on the first night of a back-to-back. The Cavs earned the 109-80 victory with a controlling effort on both ends of the floor. In the process tonight, the Cavs also tied the NBA record for most consecutive games with at least 10 made 3-point field goals. They have a chance to set the record, which they currently share with this year’s Golden State Warriors, as they take on the Indiana Pacers tomorrow night.
The Cavs came out of the gates and scorched the nets early, draining 7 of their 10 attempts from behind the 3-point line in the first quarter. JR Smith and Kevin Love were responsible for all 7 of the makes from long range, and between them they were able to outscore the entire Milwaukee team by 8 points. In the process of lighting it up early, JR Smith passed former Cavalier sharpshooter Wesley Person for most made 3s in a season at 193. Smith made 7 total from behind the arc tonight, giving him 197 for the season. The previous record held by Person was 192. Love led the scoring in the first period with 15, making 3 of his 4 attempts from long range. After twelve minutes, the Cavs led 33-19.
The team continued their onslaught in the second quarter, and JR Smith continued his hot shooting. Smith made three more from distance, finishing the half with 21 points on 7-9 shooting from long range. Smith wasn’t the only one lighting it up though, as the Cavs finished the half shooting 12-18 from deep, and assisting on 17 of their 25 made field goals. The ball movement was particularly impressive tonight, as even the players that were feeling it from deep were making the extra pass to get better shots. Aside from Smith, Love had a strong all-around half, finishing with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. The defense was strong as well, as the Cavs held the Bucks to just 40% shooting for the half, and won the rebounding battle 27-16. The lock-down defense and hot shooting led the Cavs to a 67-43 advantage at the half.
The Bucks put up little resistance in the second half, and the game was clearly in hand well before the final buzzer. The Cavs took a 26-point lead into the fourth quarter, and all five starters were able to rest and get ready for another road test tomorrow night.
For the game, six players reached double-digit scoring for the Cavs. JR Smith led the way with 21, followed by Kyrie Irving and LeBron at 17. Kevin Love had all of his 15 points in the first half, and Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. The team tied a season-high with 18 3-pointers made, and they did so while still shooting 50% from that distance.
With only four games remaining in the regular season, the Cavs magic number to clinch the top seed in the east is down to two. Any combination of Cavs wins and Toronto Raptors losses will get them there, but most importantly is the team staying healthy and rested as they prepare for a long playoff run. If tonight is any indication, the team is moving in the right direction.
Click “Next” to see all the highlights from tonight’s game!
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