CLEVELAND _ On Saturday, the Cavaliers made the Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki wait one more game to pass Wilt Chamberlain and move into sixth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
On Wednesday, the Cavs had a chance to delay another moment of glory. The Milwaukee Bucks entered Quicken Loans Arena seeking to clinch their first Central Division title since 2001.
The Bucks boasted the league's best record of 53-19. But they had seven players out due to injury, including MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, who missed his second consecutive game with a sprained right ankle, and Nikola Mirotic, who suffered a sprained and fractured right thumb in Tuesday night's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Cavs, on the other hand, were nearly at full strength. Center Tristan Thompson returned after missing 26 consecutive games with a sore left foot and forward Larry Nance Jr. was back after sitting out five with a bruised rib. Kevin Love returned to the lineup after missing Monday's victory with a sore lower back. Guard Matthew Dellavedova (concussion) was the only player sidelined for the Cavs.
With rookie Collin Sexton showing the same grit and fearless shot-making down the stretch, the Cavs delayed the Bucks' celebration, pulling out a 107-102 victory. The Cavs earned their fourth consecutive home victory; they are 6-2 at the Q since the All-Star break.
It was the Cavs' third victory over an Eastern Conference playoff team since March 11, with the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons also falling victim in Cleveland.
Sexton made a corner 3-pointer with 1:42 to go for a five-point lead and after two Eric Bledsoe free throws, scored on a driving layup with 42.5 seconds remaining. The Bucks had possession with 11.5 seconds left, but Ersan Ilyasova turned the ball over on the inbounds pass. Jordan Clarkson made two free throws with 8.3 seconds remaining for a five-point cushion.
Finishing with 25 points, two rebounds and three assists, Sexton became the first rookie in franchise history to score at least 23 points in seven consecutive games, passing Austin Carr. The feat hasn't been accomplished in the league since Tim Duncan scored 23-plus in the final seven regular-season games in 1988.
Sexton made 10-of-18 from the field, 4-of-7 from long range.
Clarkson added 23 points, five rebounds and two assists for the Cavs, and Brandon Knight scored 13 points, going over 6,000 for his career. Knight scored in double figures for the sixth time in the past seven games. Nance contributed seven points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocked shots.
Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 26 points and 12 rebounds, Bledsoe added 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Brook Lopez had 19 points.
Despite their 19-53 record, the Cavs have enjoyed playing the spoiler as the regular season winds down.
"Coming into the year I said it, in the year I said it, we've just been unfortunately plagued by injuries. But if we can get our whole ballclub together, we are not what our record shows," Nance said at shootaround. "I think teams are starting to see that. Anybody that comes in and kind of takes us for what we were is going to be sorely mistaken."
Thompson entered with 4:23 remaining in the first quarter, getting his first game action since Jan. 16. He pitched in seven points and six rebounds in 12 first-half minutes and did not play in the final two quarters.
Love banged heads with Bledsoe with 38.3 seconds left in the second quarter, which left Love laying on the floor briefly. Love finished out the half, and returned for the third quarter, but headed back to the locker room at the 9:10 mark. The Cavs announced at the end of the third quarter that he was undergoing a medical evaluation; he did not return.
Love scored six points with 10 rebounds in 19 minutes, but made just 1-of-9 from the field, all from long range. He also took a hard fall Saturday at Dallas, bruising his back.
The Bucks jumped out to an 11-4 lead as Middleton canned three consecutive 3-pointers, forcing a Cavs timeout at the 9:03 mark. But the Cavs used five points from Cedi Osman and a Sexton layup to tie the score. Sexton's basket came on an off-ball cut and a nice pass from Knight.
The Cavs opened a 55-39 lead on Sexton's pull-up 3 with 4:13 left in the second quarter and were ahead 58-47 at the half. But the Bucks awakened in the third quarter, taking a 67-66 lead on a corner 3 by Lopez at the 5:53 mark.
