12-29-06 Milwaukee Bucks @ Cleveland Cavaliers

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At
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Friday, December 29, 6:30pm CT

TV: My 24

@Quicken Loans Arena


Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 15-14
(5th Place, Central Division, -4.5)
Bucks Stats
Game Log
Depth Chart
History


Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 16-11
(2nd Tied, Central Division, -2.0)
Cavaliers Stats
Game Log
Depth Chart
History


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Preview: Bucks at Cavaliers

UP NEXT
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (15-14) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (16-11).

Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland.

When: 6:30 tonight.

Broadcasts: TV - WCGV (Channel 24). Radio - WTMJ-AM (620).

About the Cavaliers: Coach Mike Brown was not impressed with his team's victory Wednesday in Atlanta, which snapped a four-game road losing streak. Brown is concerned that his team is not playing hard for 48 minutes and has become wrapped up in its press clippings from last season, when the Cavaliers won 50 games and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. "You tend to believe the hype sometimes," he said.

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Cleveland 109 Milwaukee 99
Play By Play

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Maurice Williams

21 Points,9 Rebounds,7 Assists,1 Steel

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Cavaliers Snapped Bucks Win Streak

CLEVELAND, Dec. 29 (AP) -- LeBron James scored 32 points in his final game as a 21-year-old, Donyell Marshall added a season-high 29, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat Milwaukee 109-99 Friday night to snap the Bucks' six-game winning streak.

Larry Hughes emerged from a shooting slump with 26 points for the Cavaliers, who blew most of a 21-point lead in the second half before hanging on to win their seventh in a row at home against Milwaukee.

Marshall made seven 3-pointers, including three in the final 8:11, as Cleveland improved to 13-3 at home.

NBA

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You can't win 'em all
Cleveland snaps streak as rally falls short

Cleveland - Deep down inside, the Milwaukee Bucks knew they had only themselves to blame for their 109-99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena that snapped their six-game winning streak.

After all, the 21-point hole they dug for themselves midway through the third quarter did prove to be too much to overcome even though the Bucks did rally to make a game of it in the fourth.

But as much as the Bucks were kicking themselves for their first-half malaise, they were silently wishing in their locker room afterward that three other individuals on the court - what was that "three blind mice" expression New Jersey's Jason Kidd used the other day that got himself fined? - would be able to share in the blame also.

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Friday game report

ON THE COURT

PLAY OF THE GAME: Cleveland's Donyell Marshall came off the bench to kill the Bucks by making seven of 10 three-point shots and scoring 29 points.

"That was a result of us being aggressive," coach Mike Brown said. "We played pick-and-roll, looking to drive and attack the rim. When you have guys attacking the rim and you have a guy that's capable of knocking down threes when nobody is in front of him, it makes life easier for all of us."

PLAY OF THE GAME: Bucks forward Brian Skinner was ejected with 10 minutes 31 seconds left in the third quarter when he delivered a hard foul on LeBron James on a drive to the basket. The referees ruled it a flagrant type-2 foul and Skinner was shown the door. "I'd say it was a (less serious) flagrant-1," Skinner said. "It wasn't a flagrant-2. It wasn't an ejection. I didn't throw him down. I fouled him. It was a hard foul." Did the fact that it was James have anything to do with the referees' verdict? "Isn't that always the case?" Skinner said. Said James: "The initial foul wasn't bad. But the fact that he threw me down to the ground made it flagrant. It didn't hurt. I'm a football player. But what happened in New York, you can't let something like that happen."

OFF THE BENCH: Marshall was the only Cleveland bench player to score.

STATISTICS SHEET: In falling behind by 20 at halftime, the Bucks were outshot, 55.8% to 37.5%, made 1 of 9 three-point shots and turned the ball over 14 times, which led to 19 Cleveland points.

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Respectable streak
Bucks' winning ways turning some heads

Cleveland - The Milwaukee Bucks, winners of six consecutive games, are the hottest team in the National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference. Are they making believers out of people that maybe - just maybe - this team could be for real?

The Bucks will take their longest winning streak of the season along with some new-found confidence and vigor into a key Central Division matchup tonight against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Although the Bucks' recent success has not been enough to get them out of last place in the Central Division, they have managed to climb back above the .500 mark for the first time since the first week of the season. Are there any believers out there?

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Cavs win as LeBron closes out 21st year

CLEVELAND (AP) — Donyell Marshall's outside shot started falling before the game and never stopped. Marshall scored a season-high 29 points — 21 on 3-pointers — and LeBron James scored 32 in his final game as a 21-year-old, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-99 win over Milwaukee and snapping the Bucks' six-game winning streak Friday night.

Larry Hughes emerged from a shooting slump with 26 points for the Cavaliers, who blew most of a 21-point lead in the second half before hanging on to win their seventh in a row at home against Milwaukee.

Marshall, who had scored just 13 points combined in his previous five games, felt during warmups that he might have a breakout performance.

Cleveland Plain Dealer