Bucks 115, Cavaliers 105
BUCKS 115, CAVALIERS 105: Drew Gooden posted his second career triple-double and tied his career high in assists as Milwaukee secured a big home victory.
Gooden had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists to secure the triple-double by the end of the third quarter. Ersan Ilyasova had 22 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 4:27 to play.
Monta Ellis and Ekpe Udoh, who were acquired Tuesday night in a trade from Golden State, attended the game but did not play. Kwame Brown, who was the third player acquired in the deal, was not at the arena.
The Bucks scored 34 points in the second quarter, including 11 within the first three minutes, to take control of the game. They held a 49-34 edge in rebounds and scored 58 points in the paint.
The Bucks kept pace with the New York Knicks for the eighth spot in the playoffs and pushed Cleveland a game back in the loss column.
Kyrie Irving broke out of his brief shooting slump by scoring 28 points and Alonzo Gee had 19, but the Cavaliers slipped to 2-12 against the teams positioned to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Luc Mbah a Moute had 12 points and 13 rebounds off the bench for the Bucks. ... Mike Dunleavy had 21 points off the bench and Brandon Jennings had 17 points and seven assists. ... Daniel Gibson had 18 points off the bench for Cleveland. ... The Bucks have now won four straight in the series.