Bucks pull past Cavaliers

   The Cleveland Cavaliers pushed the Milwaukee Bucks to the limit for two and a half quarters but were unable to keep pace for the entire four as the Bucks outscored Cleveland by eight in the third and thirteen in the final quarter with Milwaukee winning 123-105 in Cleveland.

Collin Sexton finished with 19 points to lead Cleveland's offense.

The Cavaliers will receive a rematch Saturday night in Milwaukee.

Swashbucklings

1) The game was close for most of the contest, but when you play an elite level team you cannot afford to allow them to get on a run and the Cleveland defense seemed to either relax or tire out midway through the third period.

2) Hopefully that defensive lapse was not an effort problem and it was fatigue-related or a plain answer- when you go for blow for blow with a much better team, the better team usually wins 90 percent of the time.

3) The Cavaliers had talked of shooting more three-pointers after their two games against Minnesota and their last game against the Clippers and they did- for a half.

Cleveland hit eight in the first half, but when the Bucks began to dominate in the second half, Cleveland would only connect on three from long range.

4) Damyean Dotson didn't get off the bench for the third time in four games.

Dotson apparently is in someone's doghouse and while some of this comes with the trade that added Taurean Prince and the Cavaliers beginning to use more mixes with Isaac Okoro, Darius Garland, and Collin Sexton together on the floor.

I'm not saying Dotson is a standout, but I'm also not sure what he has done (or not done) to have earned a deep seat on the foldup chair.

5) Another guy that may or may not have a long career in the league that I like is rookie Lamar Stevens.

Stevens is a high motor guy that isn't afraid to do some dirty work.

He's a rookie and an undrafted one at that, so defense is a problem as he learns the league, but it's not the effort and sometimes guys can learn if the desire is present.