Sexton's 25 leads Cavs over bruised Bucks missing Giannis

Rookie Collin Sexton scored 25 points, Jordan Clarkson added 23 and the Cleveland Cavaliers delayed Milwaukee from clinching the Central Division on Wednesday night with a 107-102 win over the bruised Bucks, who were without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Sexton made a 3-pointer with 1:42 left and dropped a driving layup one minute later as the Cavs held on. Down 105-102, Milwaukee had a chance to tie it but had an ugly turnover without getting a shot off.

Khris Middleton scored 26 points and Eric Bledsoe 24 for the Bucks, who couldn't wrap up their first division title since 2001. They were at a disadvantage as Antetokounmpo sat his second straight game with a sprained right ankle.

Milwaukee Bucks' Ersan Ilyasova (77) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers' Nik Stauskas (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

The Bucks weren't just without Antetokounmpo, one of the top MVP candidates, either. They were also down five other rotational players including starting guard Malcolm Brogdon (foot) and forward Nikola Mirotic (thumb).

Sexton's development has been one of the bright spots in an otherwise dreary season for Cleveland. He became the only rookie in team history to score at least 23 points in seven straight games. Austin Carr (1972) did it six times.

Cleveland's Kevin Love, who missed Monday's game in Detroit with a sore lower back, left in the third quarter with an apparent head injury. He banged heads with Bledsoe late in the second quarter and played three minutes in the third before going to the locker room.

Milwaukee Bucks' Tim Frazier (12) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers' Jordan Clarkson (8) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Love finished with 10 rebounds in 18 minutes.

While the Bucks are nursing injuries, the Cavs were as close to full strength as they've been in months as Tristan Thompson returned after missing 26 games with a sore left foot. It was a rare chance for coach Larry Drew to have three of his top frontcourt players in Thompson, Love and Larry Nance Jr., who had missed the previous five games with a chest bruise.

"It feels a little weird having all these bodies back and being able to experiment with some things," Drew said. "It's a nice problem to have."

Milwaukee Bucks' Tim Frazier, top, and Cleveland Cavaliers' Brandon Knight scramble for the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Middleton did all he could to carry the Bucks in the first half by scoring 18 points. But without enough support, he couldn't keep up with the better-balanced Cavs, who built a 16-point lead and went into the locker room at halftime leading by 11.

TIP-INS

Bucks: Were also without G Sterling Brown (wrist), G Donte DiVicenzo (heel), G George Hill (groin) and C Pau Gasol (ankle). ... Coach Mike Budenholzer and Bledsoe were given technicals for arguing during the break between the first and second quarters. ... Budenholzer dismissed a report that Mirotic, who got hurt during Tuesday's win over the Lakers, could be out for as long as a month. The Bucks did not provide a timeline in their release. "These things can always change," he said. "In a perfect world, they're less. Sometimes they take longer. This is a little bit of a unique injury." ... Antetokounmpo scored 44 with 14 rebounds in Milwaukee's win at Cleveland on Dec. 14. ... Dropped to 13-2 in the Central.

Milwaukee Bucks' Pat Connaughton, right, Cleveland Cavaliers' Larry Nance Jr. and David Nwaba, and Bucks' Brook Lopez, left, reach for the ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Cavaliers: Nance finished with seven points, a team-high five assists, two steals and two blocks. ... Although having Thompson on the floor would have certainly helped them win some games, Drew said the Cavs didn't push Thompson. "I was hoping we would have gotten him back sooner," Drew said. "But any time you are dealing with an injury, you can't rush players back. " ... G Matthew Dellavedova missed his seventh straight game with a concussion.

UP NEXT

Bucks: Host Miami on Friday.

Milwaukee Bucks' Brook Lopez (11) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers' Collin Sexton (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

Cavaliers: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Milwaukee Bucks' Khris Middleton (22) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers' Brandon Knight during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 20, 2019, in Cleveland. (AP PhotoTony Dejak)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 31 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Suggs added 24 points and the Orlando Magic handed Cleveland the worst playoff loss in franchise history, winning 121-83 on Thursday night to cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 2-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Franz Wagner finished with 16 points and eight assists for the Magic, who led by 43 points in the fourth quarter on the way to the third-largest margin of victory in a playoff game. They earned their first playoff victory since 2019 and the first on their home floor since April 26, 2011.

They can even the series with a victory at home Sunday.

Jarrett Allen had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who shot 39% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point range. Caris LeVert added 15 points and Donovan Mitchell had 13 points and seven assists.

76ERS 125, KNICKS 114

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 50 points, making all four 3-point attempts and scoring 18 in a potential series-shifting third quarter to lead Philadelphia to a win over New York in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Embiid boldly stated “we’re going to win this series” after the 76ers dropped Game 2.

With one of the finest postseason efforts of his career, Embiid became the third player to ever score 50 points against the Knicks in the postseason and kept the hope of a Philadelphia series comeback very much alive.

The Knicks lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

Embiid was 13 of 19 from the floor overall, made 19 of 21 free throws and hit five 3-pointers.

NUGGETS 112, LAKERS 105

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Gordon had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and Denver moved to the brink of the second round with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round series..

Jamal Murray scored 22 points as the defending NBA champion Nuggets won their 11th consecutive meeting with LeBron James and the Lakers in dominating style.

Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points for Denver, which took control in the third quarter and cruised through the final minutes to its fifth straight road win over Los Angeles, starting with its sweep of last season’s Western Conference finals.

Game 4 is Saturday night in Los Angeles. No NBA team has ever rallied from an 0-3 playoff deficit.

Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) makes a shot as he gets past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)