Bucks at Cavaliers
Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving has been one of the few bright spots in what has been a difficult season in Cleveland. Irving will play his first game since being named an All-Star reserve as he leads the Cavaliers into Friday's home tilt with the Milwaukee Bucks. Irving racked up 40 points in Cleveland's last game, a 95-90 triumph over Boston on Tuesday. The Bucks come in on a three-game winning streak that moved them ahead of the Celtics for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
Irving's scoring prowess hasn't lifted Cleveland out of the East doldrums, but it has earned him plenty of recognition around the league. Irving will make his first All-Star appearance next month as he comes into Friday's game ranked sixth in the NBA at 23.7 points per game while shooting a tick under 40 percent from 3-point range. The Bucks have no participants in next month's midseason spectacle, but go into the halfway point of their regular-season schedule set up well for a spot in the playoffs.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (22-18): With Milwaukee playing some of its best basketball of the season, the club opted to sign general manager John Hammond to a three-year contract extension. "John is highly respected by the players and among his peers and I'm happy he will continue to lead our basketball operations department." Things looked bleak in the early going, culminating with the stunning departure of head coach Scott Skiles. But the Bucks have rebounded under new coach Jim Boylan, going 6-2 to move within within 2 1/2 games of the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers for top spot in the Central Division.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (11-32): Cleveland's chances at ending its postseason drought are next to nil, but victories like the one the Cavaliers enjoyed Tuesday provide hope for the future. Irving has a fan in Boston coach Doc Rivers, who watched the former first overall pick tear the Celtics' defense to ribbons. "It's a hard one for me to pick a guy from a team with 11 wins, but he's just playing so well," Rivers said. Irving finished with a career-best 16 made field goals while finishing just one point shy of his career high set last month against the New York Knicks.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. This is the fourth meeting of the season, with Milwaukee having won two of the first three. Cleveland prevailed 94-82 in their last encounter Dec. 22.
2. Irving's scoring average is the highest by a Cavaliers player since LeBron James put up 29.7 points per game in 2009-10.
3. Bucks PF Ersan Ilyasova is averaging 27 points and 15 rebounds over his last two games.
PREDICTION: Bucks 99, Cavaliers 92