Cavaliers welcome James back in 102-95 win
CLEVELAND -- LeBron James scored 24 points upon return from his bout with strep throat and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 102-95 on Monday night.
James added 10 rebounds and six assists after missing Saturday night's loss to Chicago because he was ill. Cleveland finished February with a 9-2 record and in first place in the Eastern Conference.
Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 20 points and added nine assists for the Cavs. It was his ninth consecutive game with at least 20 points.
Derrick Williams contributed 14 points and Kyle Korver chimed in with 13 points off Cleveland's bench. Richard Jefferson started instead of Channing Frye and added 11 points and six boards.
Rookie Malcolm Brogdon led the Bucks with 20 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled with his shooting (4 of 13) and finished with nine points, seven rebounds and eight assists. He hadn't scored less than 28 in his previous three games.
Bucks forward Michael Beasley fell awkwardly after he fouled James with 8:34 in the second quarter and grabbed his left knee. He was helped off the court and into the locker room.
Milwaukee called the injury a knee sprain, and Beasley was done for the night. He scored 11 points in eight minutes.
Irving, now in his sixth season, became the eighth player in Cavs history with 2,000 career assists. He reached the milestone with his first assist of the first quarter.
The Cavs used an 11-0 spurt that started with James' thunderous dunk (and foul shot) with 4:47 left to seal the game.
NOTES: G Deron Williams signed a free-agent contract with the Cavs for the rest of the season on Monday. The contract is for $407,000 -- prorated from the veteran's minimum $1.55 million. ... Cleveland is "hopeful" to sign C Andrew Bogut if he clears waivers at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Bogut was placed on waivers by the 76ers on Monday. Bogut's career began in Milwaukee in 2005. ... Bucks F Michael Beasley was back in the starting lineup for Khris Middleton, who didn't make the trip after making his first start this season for Milwaukee on Sunday in a win over Phoenix. Middleton missed 50 games in 2016-17 with a ruptured left hamstring.