LeBron, Cavs shoot down Bucks

Dec 30, 2006, 4:05 GMT

Cleveland, OH - LeBron James poured in 32 points and dished out five assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers built an early lead and held on to drop the Milwaukee Bucks, 109-99, at Quicken Loans Arena.

This was James' 100th career game when he has scored 30 points or more.

Donyell Marshall blew up for 29 points and 10 rebounds off the bench while Larry Hughes added 26 for the Cavaliers, who have won three straight.

Michael Redd netted 24 points while Maurice Williams had 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Milwaukee, which had a six-game winning streak halted. Ruben Patterson posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards.

Cleveland took command from the opening tip and built its lead up to 34-19 after 12 minutes of play.

The Cavs continued to keep their opponent at arm's length in the second quarter, and closed out the first half on a 6-0 run to take a 60-40 advantage into the locker room.

The lead grew as high as 21 in the third quarter before the Bucks came storming back. Behind seven points from Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee ended the stanza with a 19-6 spurt that closed the deficit to 79-71.

The surge continued early in the fourth, and the Bucks pulled within three with about 10 minutes to play on a Williams jumper.

Marshall and James heated up from there, however, netting 23 of the team's final 27 points to preserve the lead. A pair of Marshall buckets extended the edge to 88-81.

James took over down the stretch, scoring the final six points of the contest to ensure the win.

Game Notes

Cleveland shot 50 percent from the floor, while the Bucks shot 40 percent.

Milwaukee's Andrew Bogut had 12 points and 12 boards.

Drew Gooden of the Cavs posted 14 points and 10 rebounds.

© 2006 The Sports Network