Category: Sports News

DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Cade Cunningham added 29 points and 13 assists and the Detroit Pistons beat the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder 124-116 on Wednesday night in a matchup of conference leaders.

The Thunder started the game without five of their six leading scorers — Shai Alexander-Gilgeous (abdomen), Isaiah Hartenstein (calf), Chet Holmgren (back), Ajay Mitchell (abdomen) and Jalen Williams (hamstring). The only one of the top six to start was Isaiah Joe, and he left at halftime because of a bruised hip.

Duncan Robinson added 16 points for East-leading Detroit. The Pistons have won six of seven to improve to 43-14.

Jaylin Williams had a career-best 30 points for the defending champion Thunder, and Cason Wallace added 23. The Thunder dropped to 45-15. They had won five of six.

After Oklahoma City cut it to 108-105 with 5:06 to play, Javonte Green answered with a 3-pointer on a possession where Detroit had four offensive rebounds.

WARRIORS 132, GRIZZLIES 112

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Will Richard scored 21 points, Brandin Podziemski and Gary Payton II added 19 apiece and Golden State routed Memphis in a game between two teams depleted by injuries.

Gui Santos added 17 points as eight of the nine Golden State players who saw action reached double figures. The ninth player, Malevy Leons, had nine points.

The Warriors built a double-digit lead in the first half, stretched the margin to 32 in the fourth quarter and coasted to the victory.

GG Jackson had 24 points and eight rebounds for Memphis. Ty Jerome finished with 22 points and five assists. Javon Small scored 16 points.

The Warriors are still jockeying for postseason positioning, beginning the night slotted eighth in the West after a 113-109 loss in New Orleans on Tuesday night. The Grizzlies have been on the skids since late January, dropping two straight and 12 of their last 15 entering Wednesday’s game.

The loss dropped Memphis into a tie for 12th place in the West with the idle Dallas Mavericks.

SPURS 110, RAPTORS 107

TORONTO (AP) — Devin Vassell scored 21 points, De’Aaron Fox added 20 and the San Antonio Spurs overcame Victor Wembanyama’s rough night to beat the Toronto Raptors 110-107 on Wednesday, extending their season-best win streak to 10 games.

Wembanyama scored 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting. He went 1 for 6 from 3-point range and 5 for 6 at the free-throw line, where his lone miss came with 8.7 seconds left in regulation and his team ahead by three.

Toronto’s Brandon Ingram missed a 3 that would have tied the game, and Wembanyama grabbed the rebound.

Wembanyama finished with eight boards and three assists in 30 minutes. He also had five blocks, including a pivotal one on Jakob Poeltl with 44 seconds left.

Dylan Harper scored 15 points, Stephon Castle had 13 and Julian Champagnie 10 as the Spurs won their fifth straight meeting with the Raptors.

Ingram had 20 points and a season-high 11 rebounds, Immanuel Quickley scored 20 points and Scottie Barnes added 15 as the Raptors lost their third straight at home.

ROCKETS 128, KINGS 97

HOUSTON (AP) — Reed Sheppard made a career-high seven 3-pointers and scored 28 points, Alperen Sengun had 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, and Houston beat Sacramento.

Kevin Durant added 21 points for the Rockets in their most-lopsided victory of the season. Houston has won two in row since blowing an 18-point lead in the fourth quarter at New York on Saturday.

Russell Westbrook scored 22 points for Sacramento, but 17 came in the first quarter. DeMar DeRozan added 15 on a night he moved ahead of Paul Pierce into 20th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.

The Kings were coming off a victory over Memphis that snapped their franchise-record 16-game losing streak.

Westbrook was 8 for 14 in the first quarter, with his 17 points his most in a first quarter since getting that many against Utah on Feb. 9, 2020. But the rest of the Kings were 1 for 10 and Houston led 33-22. The Rockets then outscored the Kings 44-28 in the second, going 8 for 12 from 3-point range, to lead 77-50 at the break.

Sengun had his third triple-double of the season and 11th of his career. Houston shot 54.7% from the field and hit 17 of its first 30 shots.

The Rockets led by 36 points in the fourth quarter.

BUCKS 118, CAVALIERS 116

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kevin Porter Jr. had 20 points, Ryan Rollins added 18 and Milwaukee held off short-handed Cleveland for its fifth victory in six games.

The Cavaliers appeared to tie it on Jarrett Allen’s basket underneath at the buzzer, but it was ruled that time had expired. Allen had 27 points and 11 rebounds.

Cleveland was without James Harden after he broke his right thumb Tuesday night in a home victory over New York. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley also sat out, with Mitchell nursing a strained right groin. Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his 13th consecutive game for the Bucks because of a strained right calf.

Jaylon Tyson pulled the Cavaliers to 116-114 with two free throws. After Milwaukee’s Kyle Kuzma missed a 3-pointer, Dennis Schroder scored from the right side of the lane to tie it 116 with 35.6 seconds left. Porter hit a free-throw line jumper to put the Bucks up 118-116 with 20.2 seconds remaining.

NUGGETS 103, CELTICS 84

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 30 points and 12 rebounds on a rough shooting night to help Denver beat Boston.

Denver played most of the game without guard Jamal Murray. He left after logging 7:51 due to an illness and did not return.

Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 points as the Nuggets bounced back from a 1-2 trip out of the All-Star break, which included a loss at Golden State on Sunday. They kept pace with Houston in the tight Western Conference standings. Denver is percentage points behind the Rockets for third place.

Jaylen Brown returned to Boston’s lineup after sitting out Tuesday night at Phoenix with a right knee contusion. Brown had 23 points for the Celtics, who finished 3-1 on a Western Conference trip. They had won five straight and nine of 10 before running out of steam in the thin air.

The Knicks have struggled with one of coach Mike Brown’s core principles coming out of the All-Star break. 

He has spent all season urging the Knicks to play with pace. They remain in the bottom half of the league in that regard, but they have played faster than last year under Tom Thibodeau. 

In four games since the break, though, the Knicks are averaging 97.25 possessions per game — down from their season-long mark of 98.57 per game. 

“One of the things we have to try and do better, especially offensively, is play with pace,” Brown said after the Knicks’ blowout loss in Cleveland on Tuesday night. “Our pace is not good. We have to do a better job of getting to the corners. We have to do a better job of playing with pace in the frontcourt.”

In Tuesday’s loss, the Knicks had just 95 possessions.

“We were running through mud tonight,” Brown said, “no matter what happened.” 

With that loss to the Cavaliers, the Knicks are now tied with Cleveland in the standings. And the Cavaliers are red-hot since acquiring James Harden ahead of the trade deadline — they are 6-1 with Harden. 

But the Cavaliers suffered a few injuries. 

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

Harden suffered a fracture in his right thumb in that game, the team announced on Wednesday. The outlook is positive, however — he was listed as questionable for the team’s game against the Bucks on Wednesday night. 

Donovan Mitchell also suffered a groin strain in Tuesday’s game and was out Wednesday. 

If the Knicks and Cavaliers meet in the playoffs, Cleveland has established its best option to guard Jalen Brunson. 

Across the three matchups this year, Dean Wade has primarily guarded Brunson for the Cavaliers. According to NBA.com’s tracking stats, Brunson has just six points and has shot 1-for-16 from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range when Wade was matched up with him. 

On Tuesday, Brunson went 1-for-4 from the field and 0-for-2 from deep with Wade on him.

Al Horford alone was apparently an upgrade over Draymond Green and De’Anthony Melton.

After a lineup change, the Warriors pulled a 180 from their performance the previous night to cruise to a 133-112 win over the Grizzlies in the second half of a road back-to-back.

“Just a really good night for everybody who stepped on the floor, missing so many guys,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

Green (back) was listed as questionable and ruled out shortly before tipoff with the same issue that kept him out of Sunday’s win over the Nuggets. Melton (knee) has yet to be cleared to play on consecutive days.

The 39-year-old Horford returned and led a rejuvenated effort from an undermanned Warriors squad, which had only nine players in uniform — including two-way player Malevy Leons — but had no problem dispatching a team that dismantled its roster at the NBA trade deadline.

Eight of them — all but Leons — scored in double figures, led by 21 from rookie Will Richard. Brandin Podziemski celebrated his 23rd birthday by stepping into the starting lineup and followed up his double-double effort Tuesday with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Playing against his younger brother, Pat Spencer was a game-best plus-23 while dishing out a team-high nine assists in 32 minutes off the bench. In some kind of law of brotherly inverse, Cam Spencer was a game-worst minus-29 for the Grizzlies.

All nine Warriors also hit at least one 3-pointer as Golden State rebounded from a dismal shooting effort the previous night, knocking down 49 of 91 shots from the field (53.8%) — 19 of 46 (41.3%) from 3.

It was nearly a teamwide 50-40-90 shooting performance — until Leons missed two free throws late in the fourth quarter, which also prevented him from becoming the ninth and final Warrior to reach double figures.

What it means

After their 113-109 loss to the host Pelicans on Tuesday, the Warriors avoided the disaster of being swept on back-to-back nights by teams almost trying to lose.

Turning point

Richard responded to a statline of zeroes in 17 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to score eight of his eventual 21 points in the first quarter as Golden State jumped to a 34-31 edge.

The Warriors widened that advantage to 74-53 by halftime, using a 27-8 run that lasted most of the second quarter to take control until Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo finally called timeout with 4:46 left.

In a rare matchup having a size advantage, the Warriors pounded the paint for 18 points in the opening quarter, which they used to create the looks that resulted in 8-of-16 shooting from beyond the perimeter in their dominant second quarter.

Illustrating it all was none other than Horford.

The veteran backed down a mismatched Javon Small for an easy bucket on the game’s opening possession and then delivered one of the most dynamic sequences of their second-quarter run, draining a 3 from the top of the key and swatting Small on the other end.

MVP: Al Horford

The Warriors haven’t won any of their three games without Horford since Jan. 3. During that span, they are 12-8 with him in the lineup after their win in Memphis. Golden State improved to 6-5 without Green this season.

“Al was fantastic,” Kerr said. “(We) went to him early to establish the post, and he created a lot of advantages for us.”

Stat of the game: 33-14 points off turnovers

The Warriors played a cleaner game than Tuesday night, decreasing their turnovers from 21 to 16 (many in garbage time). The Grizzlies also turned it over 16 times.

Golden State was simply much, much better at turning them into points.

Up next

The Warriors head home to host the Lakers at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, when they should be closer to full strength. They should have Melton and Green back, and Kerr said he is optimistic about Kristaps Porzingis returning, too.

Golden State (31-28) is four games behind the Lakers (34-23) for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference — the cutoff to avoid the play-in tournament. The teams have split their season series so far and will square off one more time April 9.

The Cleveland Cavaliers came up short on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. Let’s see who won and lost the night.

WINNER – Dennis Schroder and the Bench

We’re lumping all of the winners into one category tonight.

It’s pretty difficult to lose three starters and still compete on the road. The Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and Evan Mobley tonight. But those losses are easier to overcome when you have a roster full of guys ready to step up and seize the moment.

We can talk about some of the individual performances soon. But the intensity that this second unit can bring to the floor is worth commemorating on its own. This isn’t a B-Squad that hangs its head or feels discouraged whenever they lose minutes. This is a group that’s hungry and foaming at the mouth to take the floor.

Schroder earned his first start as a Cavalier, putting up 26 points and 5 assists. His constant attacks both as a ball-handler and point-of-attack deterrent eventually helped break the dam and put the Cavs in front. Even after rolling his ankle, Schroder continued to lay it all on the line and get into Milwaukee’s defense to convert the game-tying floater with under 40 seconds to play.

Before that, Keon Ellis and Craig Porter Jr. joined Schroder to create a beautifully chaotic trio.

Porter’s downhill drives got Cleveland back into a groove during the third quarter. They had previously struggled to break Milwaukee’s shell. But Porter attacked open space and dished the rock to Jarrett Allen to re-establish their presence in the paint.

As for Ellis, he’s quickly becoming a fan favorite. It’s one thing to go after every loose ball and come up with steals while diving to the floor. But to combine that frenetic defensive energy with a 4-of-8 three-point shooting night is going to win you a ton of good favor in Cleveland.

And then there’s Thomas Bryant, who has given the Cavs a reliable option in their frontcourt whenever they’ve needed him.

It’s rare for a roster to have one of these plug-and-play guys. Let alone a whole rotation full of them. The Cavs ultimately weren’t able to get over the hump tonight, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. This was as hard fought of a loss as you can have.

LOSER – Three-Point Defense

Milwaukee clearly had one plan for this game. Launch three-pointers and pray for the best.

Jokes aside, the Bucks were deliberately hunting for three-point shots. Or, at the start, settling for them. But once the Cavs showed they werene’t going to rotate and recover with proficiency — those shots stop feeling like last resorts. Milwaukee quickly found a rhythm and took off with a lead as the Cavs couldn’t keep up.

It started with poor defense at the point of attack. Turning past one defender put the rest of Cleveland’s defense in a bind. The Bucks were then able to drive and kick far too easily. Sure, they went bombs away from downtown, but that’s in large part because the Cavs couldn’t stop them.

AJ Green shot 5-10 from deep. Kyle Kuzma, who is shooting 32.5% from downtown this season, also converted on 5-10 of his attempts tonight. Each one felt like a haymaker.

This game shouldn’t have been a shootout. A shorthanded squad like Cleveland’s needed to make sure of that. The fact that Milwaukee was able to nail 19 of 45 (42.2%) three-point attempts should have been a dealbreaker.

Somehow, the Cavs still did enough to nearly steal this one. But a better defensive showing would have guaranteed them the win.

The Milwaukee Bucks pulled off a dramatic victory in the final seconds over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kevin Porter Jr. once again led the Bucks’ offense with 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and five steals. Jarrett Allen finished with a 27-point and 11-rebound double-double for Cleveland, while Dennis Schröder had 26 points and five assists. 

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

Despite both teams coming off a SEGABABA, the Cavs looked fresher early. Cleveland built a seven-point lead after old friend Sam Merrill drilled a three, prompting a timeout from Doc Rivers. Milwaukee steadied the ship after that pause, as they battled back to move ahead after Bobby Portis converted from beyond the arc with 3:47 left. Cam Thomas turned it on, putting up seven straight points for Milwaukee to keep them ahead in a tight game. Cleveland countered with Craig Porter Jr., who completed a three-point play with four seconds left to tie it up after one, 33-33. 

Merrill continued to punish the Bucks in the opening minutes of the frame, as he scored six of the first nine for the Cavs. Down six, the Bucks responded to pull even with a dunk fest, as Jericho Sims, KPJ, and Myles Turner each threw one down. Fresh off an impressive 32-point performance last night for Milwaukee, Porter started to cook. He went on a personal 6-0 run and, with his second dunk of the quarter, put the Bucks back in front. Bucks irritant Dennis Schröder found his groove late, scoring five in a row to shift the advantage back to the Cavaliers by three. Milwaukee had a chance to take the lead at the buzzer after a Ryan Rollins layup, but Kuzma’s three ball missed, so the Bucks entered halftime down 63-62. 

Milwaukee began the second half on a heater, going on an 11-0 run. Kuzma, who came into the game shooting 32.5% from three-point range, drilled back-to-back from the corner. KPJ continued to add to his highlight reel with a poster dunk over Jarrett Allen. A Rollins three-pointer put the Bucks up by 12, but the Cavs responded right away with a 10-0 run with 3:19 on the clock. Milwaukee clung onto the advantage for as long as possible, but a Schröder layup with 4.7 left put Cleveland in the driver’s seat entering the fourth, 94-93. 

The Bucks’ offense remained in neutral, as they failed to score a field goal from the 2:21 mark of the third to the 8:31 mark in the fourth, when KPJ scored a layup. Thankfully for Milwaukee’s sake, Cleveland had a hard time finding the bottom of the basket, as they were only able to go ahead by two. After BP knotted things back up, Green put the Bucks back in front with a three, which was followed by an alley-oop dunk from Sims. Schorder tied it with a pair of free throws with 2:40 left. Rollins came up clutch with two straight layups, giving Milwaukee a four-point lead with 1:45 to go. The Bucks couldn’t find that next basket to go up by three possessions, as Jaylon Tyson converted two from the charity stripe and Schröder drew the game even once again. KPJ once again played hero late, as he buried a mid-range jumper with 20 seconds left. The Cavs thought Allen tied the game after putting a Schröder miss back up, but after review, the basket was waived off, and the Bucks escaped. 

Stat That Stood Out

The Cavaliers shot 20/27 from the free-throw line and missed three in the fourth quarter. In a game decided by two points, Cleveland would love to have some of those shots at the charity stripe back.

The Lakers (34-23) are back on the road for the next two games, starting on Thursday when they play against the Phoenix Suns (33-26). This is the final match between the two teams this season, as the purple and gold look to tie the season series.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns

When: 6 p.m. PT, Feb. 26

Where: Mortgage Matchup Center

Watch: Spectrum Sportsnet

Just when you think the Lakers would bounce back after an embarrassing loss to the Celtics, they took it a step further. They lost to an Orlando Magic team without arguably it’s best player in Franz Wagner and their top perimeter defender in Jalen Suggs. Yes, the same Magic team that — with all due respect — doesn’t even rank top five in the mediocre Eastern Conference.

Given how competitive and tight the Western Conference standings are right now, especially in the middle of the pack, that was a horrible loss for the Lakers.

Now they’re sitting in sixth place and just three games above the play-in category, specifically where their next opponent, the Suns, are currently slotted.

That’s why Thursday’s match becomes significantly more important for the Lakers.

Not only do they need to tie the season series against their fellow Pacific Division opponent, but they also need to create some distance from them to stay afloat in the standings. It will help that the Suns’ best players, namely Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks — who, yes, have given the Lakers some trouble and a lot of annoyance this season, are ruled out for this one.

The Suns will most likely run their offense through Jalen Green, Collin Gillespie, Grayson Allen and Mark Williams. As long as the Lakers don’t allow them to play extraordinarily well, then LA should be able to handle them.

There’s really no excuse for the Lakers to lose. They’re not playing their best basketball right now, but they have to at least attempt to be better. The good news is that they play well on the road, so hopefully we see a better performance from them in the next two games.

Without Booker and Brooks at the perimeter, the Lakers should be able to feast.

It would be ideal to see a bounce back game from top to bottom. Can we get another good game from Deandre Ayton against his former team? Can Austin Reaves be more impactful? And most importantly, can the team as a whole just show more pride and play with more determination to win games?

With 25 games left, the worst-case scenario for them is to fall into the play-in range after playing well enough for most of the season to be out of it.

Notes and Updates

• For the Lakers’ injury report, Rui Hachimura is listed as questionable due to illness.
• Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain) has been upgraded to probable, while Adou Thiero (G-League) and Bronny James Jr., (G-League) are with the South Bay Lakers.
• As for the Suns, Cole Anthony (not with the team), Devin Booker (right hip strain), Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture), Jordan Goodwin (left calf strain) and Haywood Highsmith (right knee injury) are out.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Olivia Olson scored a career-high 31 points, including a driving jumper with 3.2 seconds remaining in overtime, to give No. 8 Michigan an 88-86 victory over 13th-ranked Ohio State on Wednesday night.

Ohio State's Chance Gray hit a 30-footer on the ensuing trip down the floor, but the senior did not get her shot off until after the buzzer.

Olson also had nine rebounds and four assists for Michigan (23-5, 14-3 Big Ten), which set a program record for conference wins.

The Wolverines scored the final 10 points after trailing 86-78 with 1:40 remaining. Michigan had three starters foul out but Macy Brown, who came in averaging 2.1 points, scored eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to tie it at 86.

Syla Swords scored 22, including four 3-pointers.

Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge scored 22 points, including three free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining to send it into overtime,

Michigan had a 74-71 advantage with 2.2 seconds left when Brooke Quarles Daniels tried to inbound the ball. Ohio State’s Elsa Lemmila deflected the pass. Cambridge got the loose ball and was fouled by Daniels as she attempted a 3-pointer from the right corner.

Gray had 19 points and Lemmila scored 11 with 15 rebounds. The Buckeyes (23-6, 12-5) have dropped three of their last four.

Ohio State hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter as it ran out to a 28-14 lead. The Wolverines rallied back with an 18-4 run to tie it at 32 with 4:13 remaining in the first half.

Michigan trailed 40-39 at halftime, but opened the second half with an 11-3 run. A 3-pointer by Swords gave the Wolverines a 67-58 advantage early in the fourth quarter.

Up next

Michigan: Hosts No. 14 Maryland on Saturday.

Ohio State: At No. 15 Michigan State on Sunday.

___

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There are certain players who draw a crowd wherever they go. LeBron James, of course. Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, SGA all come to mind. Victor Wembenyama, though, warmed up ahead of the Spurs’ sole game in Toronto this season to a level of fanfare most of those aforementioned guys rarely see. People were going wild for him, the security in Toronto was hauling people off the sidelines, and kids were screaming for his attention. That’s just the kind of attention the 7-foot-3 French superstar gets on a nightly basis.

It’s only the second time Wemby has played in Toronto, given he was out last year by the time San Antonio made their East Coast road trip. Especially for these West Coast guys who only come here once per season, the fans show up.

Toronto, luckily, had its roster intact to try to deal with the size and strength Wemby brings. Scottie Barnes was cleared to play after tweaking his quad last night, and Jakob Poeltl was available after missing last night due to injury management.

One of the most intriguing decisions, though, was matching Wemby with their rookie, Collin Murray-Boyles. It makes sense, but the trust in their rookie is really fun to see. We know CMB is a beast — his strength for his level of experience is wild, and it makes sense they used him against someone like Wemby. He did really well, despite the obvious height mismatch. He also tweaked his thumb again, causing an early exit from the game in the fourth quarter. Overall though, solid performance from CMB on a juggernaut like Wemby.

Jakob Poeltl also played excellently for Toronto, and looked better than he has in a long time. He was active under the rim, doing his best to defend when he was on that low matchup, Wemby or no Wemby. He was moving well, running back on offence, and making a huge difference. His activity on the glass kept Toronto in a lot of possessions.

Things were looking good for Toronto heading into the fourth quarter; they were up by double-digits against a top team in the league, and were playing well. Despite all of that, the Raptors lost 110-107 to the Spurs.

What happened? Well, first, the Raptors started the fourth quarter without Ingram or Barnes on the court. That resulted in a 9-0 run by San Antonio, evaporating the Raptors’ lead. Despite holding Wembenyama to 12 points in the game, both Fox and Vassell scored 20+, and Dylan Harper scored 15 points off the bench. In the end, the Raptors couldn’t capitalize on some clutch opportunities to tie or win the game in the end.

Darko Rajakovic explained after the game that the Raptors’ Ingram never starts the fourth quarter, since he plays the entire third quarter. Barnes was playing on a sore quad and communicated with the coaching staff that he wanted to play fewer minutes if possible, leading to him being on the bench to start the fourth quarter. It was also the second night of a back-to-back, but if it hadn’t been, I’d probably want Ingram in there for Scottie regardless of whether he played the entire third or not. C’est la vie.

That’s the Raptors’ second loss in a row. They only have one game in the next seven days, against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, before they play the New York Knicks on Wednesday back at home.

The Cleveland Cavaliers nearly stole one from the Milwaukee Bucks. This one ended on a Jarrett Allen hook that nearly sent the game into overtime if he had just released it 0.2 seconds earlier.

All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Jarrett Allen

27 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block

Allen continues the best stretch of his career. This time, elevating the Cavaliers’ B-Team with his interior presence. Allen dominated the glass and put the ball in the hoop anytime his teammates passed to him. He nearly saved this game and sent it into overtime with a putback opportunity that came just a tad too late. Otherwise, it was a stellar game from JA.

Grade: A+

Jaylon Tyson

14 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

This was a brutal shooting game from Tyson. He finished 5-16 from the floor and ended as a team worst minus-19. His efforts on the glass are commendable, but the Cavs simply needed a more efficient shooting performance and better defensive integrity from Tyson tonight.

Grade: C-

Dennis Schroder

26 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

Schroder’s a competitor. His feisty playstyle helped turn the tide of this game in the third quarter. When the Bucks rattled off an 11-0 run, Schroder helped lead a 10-0 response for the Cavs. His dashes into the lane caused Milwaukee’s defense to scramble, and Schroder either made the correct pass or put two points on the board himself.

His final stretch in the fourth quarter was the definition of grit-and-grind. Even on a rolled ankle, Schroder kept the Cavs in stride and almost carried them to a win.

Grade: A+

Sam Merrill

14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers

Something tells me Sam is going to feel this one in the morning. He hit the floor every other possession as the Cavs leaned on him to create more than usual. Merrill impressed me with some of his mid-range shot-making, and it’s always nice to see him turn the corner on an unsuspecting defender and finish at the rim.

That said, Merrill airballed a three-pointer and sailed a lob pass out of bounds moments later in the fourth quarter. I have to knock him for that. This was a hard-fought game that wasn’t particularly pretty.

Grade: C+

Keon Ellis

14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

This was the best game Ellis has played in a Cavalier uniform (so far). We’ve seen him make an impact with his defense. Tonight, he poured in four three-pointers in addition to his elite defensive instincts. Some of the steals and deflections he comes up with are absurd. And when he has it rolling from behind the line as he did tonight, it’s a special sight to see.

This is everything you want in a role player.

Grade: A+

Nae’Qwan Tomlin

2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers

The recent Qwan minutes haven’t been great. He threw some truly bad turnovers tonight and didn’t play in the second half.

Grade: F

Craig Porter Jr.

8 points, 9 assists, 2 rebounds

Porter finally returned to the rotation tonight as injuries cleared the way for him. He made the most of it, aiding Schroder in the Cavaliers’ huge third-quarter run. Porter’s downhill drives helped pull the offense out of the mud — and he threw some of the best passes to Allen all game.

Grade: A-

Dean Wade

0 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists

Wade wasn’t great tonight. He shot 0-4 from the floor, and his defense wasn’t as impactful as the Bucks’ spammed three-pointers, putting him into space and away from his size.

Grade: F

Thomas Bryant

11 points, 2 rebounds

Reliable. Bryant has stepped up and provided the Cavs with quality minutes whenever they need him.

Grade: B+