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Bucks breeze past struggling Cavs

Mar 31, 2012 - 4:00 AM Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Brandon Jennings scored 28 points to go with six assists and the Bucks cruised to a 121-84 victory over the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on Friday.

Ersan Ilyasova recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Mike Dunleavy added 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range to give the Bucks their second straight win.

Milwaukee now sits just 1 1/2 games behind the New York Knicks, who fell to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Rookie of the Year candidate Kyrie Irving had another stellar performance with 29 points on a career-high six three-pointers, while Alonzo Gee added 19 and Tristan Thompson netted 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, but the Cavs continued to falter, dropping their sixth straight contest.

"We just have to come out with more fight," lamented Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott. "We have to play harder. I still think we're playing hard, but right now, you have to go above and beyond, especially on the defensive end because that is what's killing us right now."

Ilyasova missed Tuesday's contest with back spasms but displayed no ill effects on Friday, putting the Bucks on his back with 14 points in the first frame to lift Milwaukee to a 35-26 lead heading into the second quarter.

Dunleavy connected on three three-pointers, while Jennings added two jumpers and a triple of his own as Milwaukee opened the second on a 16-0 run to take a 51-26 advantage less than four minutes into the stanza.

"I'm just in a good flow right now," said Dunleavy after the win. "My teammates are finding me in good positions and I'm just knocking down shots. I'm being put in a good situation and just taking care of the rest. It's going well right now."

Irving poured in 21 of Cleveland's 44 first-half points, but the Bucks posted a season-high for points in a half with 71 and took a 27-point lead into the locker room.

The Bucks shot 61.4 percent from the field in the first half and knocked down eight of their 12 long-range shots.

The lead never dipped below 20 in the second half and touched 37 at its peak, allowing Milwaukee to coast to the double-digit road victory.

Game Notes

Milwaukee will visit Memphis on Saturday, while the Cavaliers will look to right the ship in New York on Saturday...The Bucks improved to 20-5 when scoring 100-plus points.