Sharp shooting causes a defensive mess
Smith leads Cleveland’s blitz from behind the arc
The threes were raining down on the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
It didn’t take long for the Cleveland Cavaliers to put the Bucks away as LeBron James and his teammates tuned up for what they hope is a run to the NBA Finals for a second straight year.
J.R. Smith sank 7 three-pointers in the first half to boost the Cavaliers to a 24-point halftime lead, and they cruised to a 109-80 victory over the Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Cleveland tied a season high with 18 three-pointers in 36 attempts and the Bucks allowed their most triples in a game this season (the previous high was 17 by New Orleans on Jan. 23).
“We’re just playing good ball at the right time,” James said. “We know what’s going to be good for us and what works for us. And we’re doing it.”
Smith led the Cavaliers (56-22) with 21 points as they closed in on home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. James finished with 17 points, nine assists and five rebounds while playing just 28 minutes, and forward Kevin Love had 17 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes.
But it was Smith who torched the Bucks (32-46) at the start of the game, hitting 4 of 6 three-pointers in the first quarter. He finished 7 of 11 from three-point range to set the Cavaliers franchise record for triples in a single season (197), beating the mark of 192 set by Wesley Person in 1997-’98.
“We’ve been having
trouble with the three all year and it definitely showed tonight,” said Bucks forward Johnny O’Bryant, who got a start with Khris Middleton sidelined by a thigh injury.
“I think defensively we’re good enough to guard anyone in this league. I think we showed that with Golden State. I think it’s communication. Guys have to talk more.
“We didn’t do a good job of making guys uncomfortable from the three-point line or running them off.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 22 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists but was taken out of the game with Milwaukee trailing, 101-72, with 5 minutes 41 seconds left. There was no sense having him in the game at that point.
Milwaukee ended its five-game home stand with a 2-3 record, losing to Charlotte, Chicago and Cleveland and beating two non-playoff squads, Phoenix and Orlando.
Antetokounmpo defended James for much of the game, an assignment he has taken before.
“Of course you’re going to think of who you’re guarding, if it’s Car-
melo (Anthony) or it’s LeBron or Kobe (Bryant),” Antetokounmpo said. “When you’re guarding players like that, or KD (Kevin Durant) or Jimmy Butler, you’ve just got to play hard or you’re going to get embarrassed.”
The Cavaliers shot 54.7% overall (41 of 75) while limiting the Bucks to 39.8% (35 of 88).
“We’ve got to play harder,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “Our energy . . . against the best you’ve got to be ready to compete. If not, you’re going to get destroyed. And that’s what happened tonight.”
The Bucks were without Middleton and Jerryd Bayless, their primary threepoint threats. Kidd encouraged Rashad Vaughn to stay aggressive and the rookie went 2 for 10 from threepoint range and had 10 points.
“He’s got to be able to shoot the ball when he’s open,” Kidd said. “He’s a rookie so he’s going to make those mistakes.
“During the timeout I was talking to him about understanding when you’re open, you have to shoot it, and using the dribble to be positive and be aggressive. And not to use the dribble to get into traffic.”
Jabari Parker added 19 points for the Bucks, and O’Bryant had 12 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes.
“I’m fresh and I’ve got a lot of energy,” O’Bryant said. “I’m just trying to play hard and go out with a bang.
“Coach gave me an opportunity so I’m just trying to produce and show I belong out there.”