The Cleveland Cavaliers just wrapped up their two game series against the Milwaukee Bucks. Though they split these games, Cleveland claimed the season series with their dismantling of the Bucks earlier this month. How’d each game go? What stood out? Here’s a Cleveland versus Milwaukee recap.
Though this was a hard fought game, the Bucks controlled the lead from start to finish. Giannis Antetokounmpo had an outstanding night, finishing with a 35 point, 18 rebound and 10 assists triple double. He was cooking Cleveland all night and, although Jarrett Allen had some impressive defensive sequences, led the Bucks to a 116-126 victory. Damian Lillard also had a strong outing with 28 points and four assists, while Kris Middleton chipped in 24 points.
There were some highlights for Cleveland, though. Allen had his 13th consecutive double-double, finishing with 21 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. He also committed zero fouls which is impressive, especially considering he was playing against Antetokounmpo and was able to shut him down a few times. Donovan Mitchell was another big player for the Cavs, finishing with 23 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Sam Merrill did his thing, coming off the bench and hitting three quick shots from deep. Damian Jones also made a good impression. Although he finished with only five points (and no rebounds), each came off a big dunk. One one-handed slam over Brook Lopez, and an alley-oop caught and dunked over Antetokounmpo.
Though the Cavs weren’t able to pull out the win they played hard and the game ended close. When playing a top team in the league that’s always a plus.
It was a slow start for the Cavs. While Milwaukee got off to an early 7-0 lead it took over two minutes for Cleveland to score their first point. Eventually they would surge to take the lead, which set the tone for the rest of the game. A hard fought affair, the first quarter alone is a good representation of the game. Last time these teams played there were 11 fouls in the first half. This game there were 14 fouls in the first quarter alone.
Mitchell finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Despite a false injury scare towards the end of the game, he’s at his best. Allen, continuing with his double-double trouble, as he finished with his fourteenth straight in a 24 point and 14 rebound outing. Caris LeVert was a highlight in this one as well. He finished with 12 points, four rebounds and five assists and was particularly active in the second half.
This was an extremely impressive defensive performance from Cleveland. Despite it being a hard fought game, and a back and forth first quarter, there was only one lead change in the second half. Once Cleveland took the lead, they kept it. Through putting Antetokounmpo in foul trouble, and forcing 18 Milwaukee turnovers, Cleveland finished this one on top with a 112-100 victory.
This Cleveland team looks good. And with winning nine of their last 10 games, and expecting two all-stars to return by season’s end, they’re looking more and more like a serious playoff team.
The Cavaliers play next on Monday night (January 29) when they’ll host the Los Angeles Clippers for a 7:00 game.
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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com
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