On Tuesday (11th November 2008) night, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Milwaukee Bucks by a score of 99-93. This was the fifth consecutive win for the Cavaliers. LeBron James had a lion’s share in this win and he finished with 41 points which was his season high score. In the past four games, this was the third instance when James had scored 41 points. In this game, James did not exit in the second half and played for 43 minutes which is his season best time.
When the Cavaliers were leading by 5 points, a pass which was meant for Richard Jefferson was snatched away by James and he smashed the ball in the hoop. After some moments, he displayed a finger roll and this resulted in the Cavaliers taking an eleven point lead. For the Cavaliers, Anderson Varejao contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds while Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 15 points. At half time, the Cavaliers were leading by 6 points. At the beginning of the third quarter, Williams displayed a 3-pointer and dropped two free throws and the lead quickly increased to 11 points. At the close of the 3rd quarter, James managed 3 straight outside jumpers and the Cavaliers led by 74-71 while beginning the fourth.
The Bucks were playing in the absence of Michael Redd who is their leading scorer. This was the fourth consecutive game that was missed by Redd due to a sprained right ankle. On Tuesday, Redd attempted some practice but coach Scott Skiles remarked that “He was noticeably limping. It was clear he wasn’t ready.” For the Bucks, Jefferson contributed 19 points and Luke Ridnour added 17 points, out of which 14 were in the 3rd quarter. In the 3rd quarter, Ridnour hit 2 3-pointers and went 5-for-5 as the Bucks led by 69-66 when the remaining time was 2:20.