Cavaliers 90, Bucks 110: (The Deer were Feared.... apparently)

The Cavaliers were playing their second game in as many nights against the Milwaukee Bucks.

And it was a night were the Cavaliers gave up over 55 percent shooting to the Bucks and saw yet another backcourt tear apart Cleveland.

Second year point guard, Brandon Jennings scored 18 points and 4 assists. But it was the smallest dear that was the Cavalier killer.

The 5 foot 6 Cleveland native, Earl Boykins also scored 18 points, and was the main reason the Bucks shot 60 percent in the first half.

Milwaukee shot 70 percent in the second quarter (14-20) and Boykins made all of his attempts in the period. Earl was the biggest reason for the 17-2 run for Milwaukee was the Cavalier killer.

Boykins scored all of his 18 points in the first half and helped Milwaukee score 39 second quarter points.

Jennings then added onto the assault with 14 points in the third quarter as the Bucks opened the second half on a 14-4 run, opening a 62-49 halftime lead.

The Cavaliers were once again thin on players as that has been the story of the team's season. Baron Davis left the team due to his death of his grandmother in Los Angeles.

Davis has been the spark plug of the team since his arrival and has been the team's leading scorer.

The Cavaliers just didn't have it tonight. The team gave up 110 points to one of the worst offensive team's in the league.

Cleveland gave up 70 percent shooting in the second quarter and 660 percent in the first half.

Samardo Samuels, who has been playing well in the past few weeks, got the start again. He scored 15 points and 5 rebounds.

He scored 11 of those points in the first quarter. Daniel Gibson also helped with 13 points who recently came back from a bruised thigh injury.

The Cavaliers got six players to score in double-figures but it wasn't enough to shoot down the deer. Each starter except JJ Hickson scored in double-digits. Hickson, who dislocated his left pinky last night, had a rough shooting night. He finished with four points and grabbing eight rebounds.

Cleveland won't play again until Sunday, where they travel to Oklahoma City.

Preview - Cavs vs. Bucks: Playing without the Baron

Thanks to the struggles of the two teams directly above them, the Milwaukee Bucks are amazingly just 2 1/2 games out of a playoff spot.

If they have any plans on getting there, they certainly can't afford to lose to teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Bucks look to win consecutive games for the first time since late January on Wednesday night when they host the Cavaliers, who will try to win their first back-to-back road contests since early November.

Hopes were high in Milwaukee after going 46-36 last season and taking Atlanta to seven games in the first round of the playoffs, but injuries and inconsistency have the Bucks (24-38) stuck in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

But even for a team that played nearly six weeks without Brandon Jennings - and is 5-13 since he's returned - all isn't lost. The Bucks drew closer to eighth-place Indiana on Tuesday after throttling Washington 95-76 and watching the Pacers lose their fourth straight and sixth in seven games.

Milwaukee is just 1 1/2 games behind ninth-place Charlotte, which has lost five in a row.

"If you're trying to catch people, you've got to keep the pressure on them," Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles said.

It's no coincidence that one of the Bucks' most lopsided wins came with Andrew Bogut back in the lineup. The Australian center missed three games with a muscle strain in his left ribcage area, but had 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in his return.

Bogut, who said he felt good, wants Milwaukee to focus on itself and not the teams it's chasing.
"We don't want to get stuck in that game of checking the standings every day," he said. "We just need to go out and play and win the games we're supposed to."

Milwaukee hasn't won consecutive games since a three-game streak from Jan. 26-29, but it should feel good as its faces the East's worst team a night after routing the conference's second-worst club. Bogut had a game-high 23 points as the Bucks won 102-88 in Cleveland on Jan. 21.

He missed a Nov. 24 trip to Quicken Loans Arena, though, and Milwaukee shot just 37.8 percent in an 83-81 loss.

The Cavaliers (12-51) had lost 26 consecutive road games before winning at New York on Friday, but they struggled to find offense upon returning home. Cleveland shot 36.8 percent in a 96-81 loss to New Orleans on Sunday, then scored just 55 points over the final three quarters Tuesday while falling 95-85 to Golden State.

Forward J.J. Hickson dislocated his left pinky - the same finger Antawn Jamison fractured last month - in the fourth quarter, but the initially gruesome-looking injury turned out to be nothing serious as Hickson re-entered with a minute left.

"I saw his finger pointing east and west," coach Byron Scott said. "I didn't want to start crying in front of 17,000 people."

Cleveland's four wins in its last 10 games have all featured impressive performances from Hickson. The third-year forward has averaged 21.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in the victories while shooting 50.7 percent.

In the six losses, he's averaged 13.2 points, blocked four total shots and shot 37.2 percent.

Hickson has a total of four points in 37 minutes against Milwaukee this season despite starting both games.

Cleveland will be missing Baron Davis, who has left the team following the death of his grandmother. Davis has averaged 18.0 points and 5.7 assists in three games off the bench since being acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers.

How bad are the Cavaliers right now?

NBA basketball in Cleveland right now couldn't get much worse.

Following last night's 102-88 loss at home to Milwaukee, the Cavaliers are now on a 15 game losing streak.

In every known NBA power ranking system, Cleveland is dead last. 

Here's an excerpt from an AP story, which accurately depicts the current lows the team is experiencing. 

"Only months after owning the NBA’s best record for the second straight year, the Cavaliers have fallen — shockingly fast and far. Now on a 14-game losing streak, the Cavaliers, who started 7-9, have dropped 24 of 25 and haven’t shaken a hangover that began with LeBron James’ summer announcement that he was migrating to Miami. 

At 8-33, with a long list of injured players and a shocked fan base in withdrawal, the Cavaliers have gone from first to worst. They’ve lost their elite status, and it may be years before they get it back."

The throwback jerseys they wore last night seem to fit the futility of the franchise in its current state.  The sad thing is, we'd gladly welcome Darius Miles and Ricky Davis for some highlight-reel plays.  At least with that team, we had dunks.

We need desperately need a small forward, post players, a legitimate center, and a starting shooting guard.  At this point, who is worth keeping on this roster?  Colton Overway, and any other credible NBA talent evaluator knows we need Manny Harris.  Varejao is possibly the only other player I'd miss if he didn't return to Cleveland next season. Samardo Samuels isn't going to cut it.

One thing is already clear - We're playing for next year.

This team needs an infusion of talent, either from free agency or the draft, but it appears we will focus on the latter.  Trade, draft, and then rebuild. In that order.

Not that Byron Scott isn't trying to win games, trust me, he is. 

It's just with the current roster, you don't have much of a chance.  Byron needs something to work with.  The loss of Varejao for the season has stripped the fans of watching one of the few remaining Cavaliers who can provide for some excitement.

In the one game that really mattered to Cavs fans this season, LeBron's return, the team didn't even show up and folded by the 3rd quarter.

We still watch because we support them regardless, but this is pretty close to rock bottom. 

You can see it on their faces, when the opponents just continue to drill shots and beam confidence.

This team is the worst the NBA has to offer right now.  At this point, whether or not we will have won 10 games before the All-Star break is in serious jeopardy.

Preview: Cleveland vs. Milwaukee

The Cavaliers have won eight of their last nine meetings against Milwaukee and six straight at the "Q". However, that streak seems to be forgotten, being that Cleveland is in the middle of a 14 game losing streak.  The Cavs have lost 24 out of their last 25 games.

Cleveland will try to break a 14 game losing streak tonight against the same team Mo Williams beat with a game-winning shot at the buzzer.  Mo finished with 25 points against the Milwaukee Bucks. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers will have a completely different look this time around.  Williams, the hero from the last time the Bucks came to downtown Cleveland, will be on the sidelines cheering.

The starting line-up will most likely consist of Ramon Sessions, Manny Harris, JJ Hickson, Alonzo Gee and Antawn Jamison. A completely different line-up from the previous meeting when Williams hit the dagger at the buzzer.

The bench must continue to play well; they are averaging 36.5 ppg, which is good enough for 5th best in the NBA. Two Cavaliers to keep your eye on tonight are Antawn Jamison and Ramon Sessions. Jamison has scored at least 20 points in six of the last eight games and Sessions has averaged 14.9 ppg to go along with 6 assists in his last 11 games.

Tip is at 7:30pm, at Quicken Loans Arena.