|
MILWAUKEE -- O. Rob Ninkovich Womens Jersey .J. Mayo and Gary Neal put on a long-range shooting display, but it was Caron Butlers little 2-foot tip-in that made the difference for the Milwaukee Bucks. Butler rebounded a miss by Mayo with 24.8 seconds left for the go-ahead basket that halted a 13-point run by the Cleveland Cavaliers, propelling the short-handed Bucks to a 109-104 victory Wednesday night. "Ive been around long enough," Butler said. "I just know a plays not over at the end of the game, thats when guys kind of put their guard down a little bit. I saw a great opportunity to sneak in there and put my hand on the ball." Mayo scored 28 points, including six 3-pointers, and Neal, who added four 3-pointers, scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter as the Bucks salvaged a victory after seeing a double-digit lead slip away in the final 3 minutes. Milwaukee, already without its top two point guards -- Brandon Knight and Luke Ridnour -- also played without forward Ersan Ilyasova and centre Larry Sanders. Ilyasova was out with a sore right ankle while Sanders was out with a sprained right thumb, injured in a weekend off-court incident that is being investigated, the Bucks said in a statement. "We were short-handed with no Larry Sanders, no Ersan, Luke Ridnour and Brandon Knight," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "For those guys to come out and play like they did, I am very proud of them. I am very proud to coach this group. Weve had to overcome a lot of adversity since the beginning of training camp, dealing with injuries and guys being out. We beat a very good basketball team tonight in Cleveland." The Bucks, who used only eight players, opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run to take a 94-81 lead, but Kyrie Irving scored 10 consecutive points to fuel a 13-point run that put the Cavaliers up 104-103. After Butlers tip put the Bucks up 105-104, Irving dribbled off his foot and out of bounds. Mayo added four free throws in the closing seconds. "Crucial turnover by me at the end and it kind of stopped that," said Irving, who led Cleveland with 29 points. "A missed shot by me as well. It starts on the defensive end early in the game. Weve just got to get stops early, so were not in that predicament going into the fourth quarter." Neither team put on a defensive clinic in the first half that ended with the Bucks leading 55-53. Cleveland, which entered the game shooting 40.2 per cent from the field, shot 56.4 per cent in the first half, making 22 of 39 shots. The Bucks, who entered the game shooting 43.8 per cent, made 20 of 36 (55.6 per cent). "O.J. Mayo and Gary Neal are combined 10 for 12 from the 3-point line and we keep telling our guys to get up in them," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "Make them drive, make them drive. No air space, no air space. Make them drive, make them drive. But we continue to close short and allow them to shoot 3s. It is unacceptable." Injuries forced Bucks rookie Nate Wolters, a second-round draft pick out of South Dakota State, to play 33 minutes. Wolters, who has played at least 29 minutes in each game, finished with nine points, eight rebounds and six assists. "Hes very poised," Mayo said. "I think weve all seen that from day one. I dont think we thought he was going to be put in the hot seat that fast, but like I told him, "Welcome to the NBA. If youre ready, you dont have to get ready." NOTES: Former Bucks G Michael Redd officially announced his retirement Wednesday night and addressed the crowd from centre court between the first and second quarters. Redd, the 43rd pick in 2000, plyed 11 seasons with the Bucks before finishing his career with Phoenix in 2011-12. Redd, who holds the Bucks record with 57 points in a game, averaged better than 21 points per game for six consecutive seasons before tearing an ACL and MCL in his left knee in 2009-10 and then again the following season. ... Cavaliers F Anthony Bennett, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft, connected on a 3-pointer with 9:46 left in the first half for his first NBA basket after starting the season 0 for 15 from the field. . Ilyasova, who missed most of the preseason with a sprained right ankle, was not in uniform due to soreness in the a..nkle. .. Bucks centre Zaza Pachulia was 10 for 10 from the free throw line, making him 21 for 21 on the season. Tom Brady Womens Jersey . Backlund took the puck to the net and sent a pass to Sean Monahan, whos shot was stopped by Wild netminder Darcy Kuemper. The puck, however, bounced into the air and Backlund batted it down and past Kuemper at 2:25 of extra time. Alfonzo Dennard Jersey . Manning and Manning won. It is a difficult assessment to make when you compare quarterbacks because they actually never compete against each other, so the evaluation is more about how did they compete against themselves and elevate those around them. LOS ANGELES -- Jordan Lyles got through seven innings on a night when mound opponent Josh Beckett displayed his old All-Star form for eight. Troy Tulowitzki and the rest of the Colorado Rockies did the rest against the Dodgers overworked bullpen. Charlie Blackmon hit an RBI single in the 11th inning and the Rockies got home runs from Tulowitzki and Corey Dickerson to beat Los Angeles 5-4 on Friday. Carlos Gonzalez also had an RBI during the decisive rally. "We look for Tulo and CarGo to lead us. If they dont go anywhere, we dont go anywhere," Lyles said. "So for us to be good we need them to be good. They are proven players and theyre going to give their best effort every day of the week. Talent-wise, it doesnt get much better that that combo." Adam Ottavino took over in the eighth for Lyles as a steady drizzle sent many in the crowd of 44,866 for cover. Ottavino retired the side in order before Boone Logan struck out his first two batters in the ninth -- including Matt Kemp, who was ejected by umpire Angel Hernandez for arguing a called third strike. It was Kemps seventh career ejection and the Dodgers first this season. The drizzle had turned into a downpour by the 10th. Brandon Barnes pinch-hit for reliever Rex Brothers (2-2) with one out in the 11th and doubled against Jamey Wright (1-1). Left-hander J.P. Howell entered to face the lefty-swinging Blackmon, who came in leading the majors with a .410 average. The leadoff hitter grounded a 2-2 pitch up the middle to drive in the go-ahead run after going hitless in his four previous at-bats against Beckett. Nolan Arenado followed with a single that extended his career-best hitting streak to 15 games. The Rockies added another run when first baseman Adrian Gonzalez threw home on a grounder in front of the bag by Carlos Gonzalez and was too late to get Blackmon. Justin Morneau capped the rally with an RBI single against Brandon League. Brothers pitched a hitless inning and LaTroy Hawkins got three outs for his seventh save after giving up a two-run homer to Adrian Gonzalez. Kemp would have been the next batter had he not been tossed. Yasiel Puig also went deep and had an RBI single for the defending NL West champions,, who are 1-5 in extra-inning games. Bryan Stork Jersey. Beckett allowed two runs and four hits with six strikeouts and no walks, after pitching five scoreless innings in each of his previous two starts. The right-hander, whose first four outings have resulted in no-decisions, hasnt won since beating the Rockies on Sept. 30, 2012, at Los Angeles. "There arent very many easy outs in that lineup, but I got some easier outs on some changeups. That was really the key to keeping them off balance," Beckett said. "Theyre a very good hitting team. Most of their guys usually feel pretty good about themselves, and they should." Beckett was 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA in eight starts last season before sitting out the final five months because of a groin strain and a subsequent bout with thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve condition that required surgery in July. "I think this was a step in the right direction for me, personally. I wanted to show myself that I could do some things I havent done in a while, like pitching innings," Beckett said. "I mean, I havent been up and down six times in like 400 days. I dont know exactly how many. Thats just a guess." Lyles allowed two runs and six hits, striking out four and walking one. Puig, the second batter Lyles faced, hit the first pitch to centre field for his third home run. Ten of Puigs first 22 big league homers have come on the first pitch. "I dont mind when guys swing early, especially since Im a guy that does a decent job of getting guys to hit the ball on the ground," Lyles said. "I tried to make a good pitch down and away. If I threw a ball, I was fine with it. But I didnt get another chance. I left it over the plate and he put a good swing on it. Hes a strong guy who can put it into the seats." Tulowitzki drove Becketts second pitch of the second inning deep into the left-field pavilion for his fifth of the season. Two batters later, Dickerson hit a first-pitch homer to left-centre. Beckett then retired 17 of his next 18 batters. NOTES: Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw (back) threw 56 pitches over five innings in a rehab start for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga against visiting Lancaster, allowing a run and two hits with six strikeouts and a walk. The run came on a leadoff homer in the fifth. ' ' ' |
