Brandon Jennings has a knack for saving his best for the spotlight.

The rookie point guard scored 25 points and handed out 6 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks continued its ascent in the Eastern Conference playoff picture by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 92-85.  The win placed the Bucks in the sixth spot in the East, and they are on the heels of the Raptors for the fifth position.

Milwaukee has been playing some inspired basketball of late, winning 9 of their last 10 games.  And they are doing it at the defensive end of the court.  The Bucks have been deflecting passes, applying defensive pressure and forcing mistakes from their opponents.  That certainly was the case tonight, as the Cavs committed 17 turnovers.

Williams didn't have much to celebrate tonight - he went 3-17 from the field.

And, oh by the way, the reigning MVP was not in the Cleveland lineup tonight.  LeBron James sat out  - a decision that was seemingly brought on by James’ right ankle sprain (which Mike Brown insisted wasn’t the reason).  James was limping whenever he walked to and from the bench.

Antawn Jamison led all players with 30 points for Cleveland.  Delonte West added 27 for the Cavs in the loss.  They both stepped their point totals considerably with LeBron out.

So, the opportunity was there for a hot Milwaukee team at home.  All of their starters scored in double figures, including Carlos Delfino and Luc Mbah a Moute who both recorded double-doubles in points and rebounds.  They were effective from beyond the arc, hitting 11 triples (Jennings had 5, Delfino had 4).

But the story of the game was Jennings.  After Jennings’ torrid start, the Oak Hill Academy product had been shooting terribly for some time now, and hadn’t recorded a 20-point game since February 5.  Tonight, he broke out of it in a major way.  He also got to the charity stripe, canning 8 of his 9 attempts.  Jennings was even sporting a new do – a mohawk in which the middle strip was dyed red/blonde.

At this point, Jennings mohawk is a good representation of just how hot the Bucks are.

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