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Thursday, May 23, 2013
 
Cleveland Cavaliers

Pregame: Bucks (28-27) at Cavs (17-31)

By Jason Lloyd Published: March 30, 2012

7:30 p.m., Quicken Loans Arena; FS Ohio/WTAM, WAKR, WHBC

 

Cavs probables
Name Ht, Wt Pts Rebs Asts
PG Kyrie Irving 6-3, 191 18.7 4.0 5.7
SG Anthony Parker 6-6, 210 6.1 2.4 2.4
SF Alonzo Gee 6-6, 219 10.6 4.8 1.7
PF Antawn Jamison 6-9, 235 17.9 6.6 1.9
C Tristan Thompson 6-9, 227 7.7 6.2 0.4

 

Bucks probables
Name Ht, Wt Pts Rebs Asts
PG Brandon Jennings 6-1, 169 18.4 3.7 5.6
SG Monta Ellis 6-3, 185 5.9 2.3 2.4
SF Ersan Ilyasova 6-10, 235 12.3 8.5 1.1
PF Ekpe Udoh 6-10, 245 5.3 4.1 0.9
C Drew Gooden 6-10, 250 14.1 6.7 2.5

 

Injury report: Cavs -- Daniel Gibson (foot) out, Anderson Varejao (foot) out; Bucks -- Carlos Delfino (groin) out, Kwame Brown (pectoral) out.

Officials: Zach Zarba, Mark Ayotte, Olandis Poole

Notes

* The Cavs signed shooting guard Lester Hudson to a 10-day contract this morning. Hudson is an explosive scorer who recently joined the Austin Toros after a successful stint in China.

* Hudson averaged 36 points per game playing for Qingdao, ranking second in the Chinese Basketball Association behind fellow NBA player J.R. Smith. Hudson also had a quadruple-double (25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals) during his junior season at UT-Martin.

* Coach Byron Scott compared Hudson to Daniel Gibson as an undersized shooting guard who can score. Ideally, he'd like to get Hudson into a practice first before using him in a game and the Cavs won't have another practice until Monday. He went through this morning's shootaround and worked with assistant coach Joe Prunty, but it's unlikely Scott would use Hudson tonight or tomorrow against the Knicks.

* Hudson's ability to put the ball in the basket is much-needed for a Cavs reserves unit that is struggling to score. That could make Hudson a contributor once he is acclimated to the Cavs' offense. He takes  the roster spot of Ryan Hollins, who was released last week.

* Tristan Thompson is shooting 71 percent from the free-throw line over his last nine games, raising his season average to above 53 percent. It has been a huge improvement in a relatively short amount of time, leaving the Cavs wondering what all Thompson can accomplish with a full summer of work. "This summer is a big summer for him because his improvement can be drastic or it can be slow. It depends on him," Scott said. "But I think just him showing how much he has improved at the free-throw line shows he has the potential to improve in other areas as well. If he does that, we’re going to be thrilled to death next season."

* This will be the Cavs' first look at the Bucks' combination of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis. The explosive duo will put plenty of pressure on the perimeter defense. That isn't particularly good news given Daniel Gibson's average, Anthony Parker's age and Kyrie Irving's defensive lapses this season. Scott has often referred to Gibson as his best perimeter defender, but Gibson could be out the rest of the season with a torn tendon in his left foot.

* Bucks reserve Mike Dunleavy has been a big spark off the bench, scoring in double figures 11 times in 15 games this month. The Bucks are 2-9 in games Dunleavy has missed and 21-18 with him in the lineup.

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