Read More: Mike Dunleavy (F – MIL), Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost their second straight game on Wednesday night, falling to the hot Milwaukee Bucks 115-105. After outscoring the Bucks in the first quarter, 28-23, the Cavaliers were outscored 92-77 in the final three quarters. The Bucks, who just made a big trade with the Golden State Warriors for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh, and Kwame Brown, have now won four straight games.

Milwaukee opened the second quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 34-30 lead before a back-and-forth finish to the quarter. The Cavs built a four-point lead early in the third quarter, but the Bucks then went on a 16-6 run to take a lead they would never relinquish.

Rookie Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 28 points on 11-for-16 shooting, but he also had eight turnovers. The Bucks had six players in double figures and were led by Mike Dunleavy’s 21 points.

The Cavaliers are not in action again until Sunday when they take on the Atlanta Hawks.

For more on the Cleveland Cavaliers, go to Fear The Sword. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NBA hub at SBNation.com/NBA.

MILWAUKEE — The landscape of the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs changed dramatically Wednesday.

The Milwaukee Bucks, who entered Wednesday’s game against the Cavaliers as the No. 8 seed with an 18-24 record and a 2-0 mark against New York, traded Andrew Bogut, the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft, and forward Stephen Jackson to the Golden State Warriors for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown.

The Knicks, with that same 18-24 record, parted ways with coach Mike D’Antoni and named Mike Woodson, a former Cavs assistant, his replacement.

In the very short term, the changes could benefit the Cavs, especially since the Bucks held a news conference 30 minutes before tipoff to introduce their new players, none of whom played Wednesday night in Bradley Center.

Of course, Bogut has a fractured left ankle and wouldn’t have played anyway, and Jackson doesn’t play much either.

But given that the Cavs will face Milwaukee and New York two more times each after Wednesday, if it takes either team very long to adjust, the Cavs hope to take advantage.

“The opportunity is there,” Cavs coach Byron Scott said. “It’s just a matter of us going out and taking advantage of it.”

That hasn’t always been the Cavs’ way. Witness Tuesday’s loss to Toronto snapping a three-game winning streak over Denver, Oklahoma City and Houston.

And Scott isn’t sure how the changes will affect either team.

“When you talk about New York, listening to their guys, they feel they’re much better than the No. 8 seed,” Scott said. “The only change is Dan leaving. I don’t know how that affects them. It could be one of two ways. They either take off from here or they even go farther down.

“With this team in Milwaukee, they’ve been playing with the group they have for a while. So you’re adding another great player, a great scorer. It will be interesting to see how that works out.”

Ramon Sessions, who played with Bogut in Milwaukee, admitted he was surprised to see him traded. But Sessions thinks the playoff chase will go down to the wire — and that the Cavs will be in it that long.

“It’s definitely going to go down to the end,” he said.

Another Irving fan: Bucks coach Scott Skiles joined the chorus of coaches in praising Cavs rookie Kyrie Irving.

“Kyrie is already one of the best point guards in the league,” Skiles said. “Considering his college career was abruptly ended with his injury, he’s really playing well. It’s hard to imagine anyone else getting the rookie of the year but him.”

The last word: From Scott, on the television reports about Dwight Howard staying — or not — in Orlando, “Basically, I just kept changing the channel.”

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Once again, with a chance to gain some ground on a rival in the Eastern Conference playoff race, the Cavaliers came up short with a 115-105 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night in Bradley Center.

Kyrie Irving led the Cavs with 28 points, and Alonzo Gee added 19 as the Cavs slipped to 16-25. Irsan Ilyasova had 22 points and eight rebounds and former Cav Drew Gooden had a triple double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists for the Bucks (19-24).

The Bucks maintained their hold on the No. 8 playoff spot, while the New York Knicks, 19-24, kept pace with a 121-79 victory over visiting Portland, while the Cavs fell further behind. Allowing Milwaukee to shoot 60 percent in the third quarter will do that.

Technically, the Bucks were shorthanded because newly acquired Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown did not dress for the game. But the players they were traded for — Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson — weren’t factors for the Bucks recently. Bogut has been out with a fractured left ankle and Jackson has fallen out of the rotation.

But it doesn’t matter who plays or who doesn’t or whether the game is at home or on the road: When the Cavs and the Bucks meet, it’s always close — at least for three quarters.

So it came as absolutely no surprise that a dunk by rookie Tobias Harris gave the Bucks a 57-55 lead at the half. Milwaukee was shooting 52.1 percent (25-of-48) while Cleveland shot 46.7 percent (21-of-45.) The Bucks had a 24-20 edge on the boards, but the Cavs forced eight turnovers while committing just six.

Gee led the Cavs with 15 points, while Ersan Ilyasova, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, had 12 for Milwaukee. Gooden had eight points and nine assists in the first half.

How close was it in the first half? There were 16 lead changes and 14 ties.

But Milwaukee made 12 of 20 shots in the third quarter (60 percent) and pulled out to an 84-78 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Bucks pushed that lead to 10, at 88-78 while Irving was on the bench, getting his usual rest at the start of the fourth quarter.

For one reason or another the Cleveland Cavaliers have not found an answer on how to defeat the Toronto Raptors this season. Their loss on Tuesday, March 13 marks the third game this season they have been bested.

Cleveland was on a hot streak coming into the game, but it ended quickly. The question heading into the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, March 14 is how much longer the current roster be in place. With the trade deadline fast approaching, teams are starting to make their moves in an effort to start the rebuilding process for next season and/or make their push for the playoffs.

Milwaukee has already made a big move by agreeing in principal to send Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson in exchange for Monta Ellis. Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown will also be sent to Milwaukee as part of the deal.

As for Cleveland, plenty of rumors have circulated, but there has been no official news yet.

The matchup…

The Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 8 p.m. EDT.

The standings…

Cleveland comes into the game having lost their last game and with a 16-24 record. They are 7-11 on the road have won three of their last 10 games.

Milwaukee enters the matchup having won their last three games and with an 18-24 record. They are 10-9 on their home court and have won five of their last 10 games.

The season series…

The season series stands at 1-0 in favor of the Bucks.

Where to watch…

The game can be watched live nationwide with NBA League Pass or –

In Cleveland: FSOH

In Milwaukee: FSWI

The season statistic leaders…

Cleveland: Antawn Jamison 18.6 PPG, Kyrie Irving 5.4 APG, Anderson Varejao 11.5 RPG.

Milwaukee: Brandon Jennings 19.1 PPG, Brandon Jennings 5.7 APG, Ersan Ilyasova 8.7 RPG.

Injuries to note…

Cleveland: Anderson Varejao (broken right wrist).

Milwaukee: Shaun Livingston (sprained left ankle), Luc Mbah a Moute (sore right knee).

More Cleveland Cavaliers Commentary from this Contributor:

Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers, March 13, 2012: Fan Preview

Houston Rockets at Cleveland Cavaliers, March 11, 2012: Fan Preview

Cleveland Cavaliers at Oklahoma City Thunder, March 9, 2012: Fan Preview

Cleveland Cavaliers at Denver Nuggets, March 7, 2012: Fan Preview

Utah Jazz at Cleveland Cavaliers, March 5, 2012: Fan Preview

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Cavaliers fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.