Like they did against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers fought and battled against the Bucks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, but just like what happened against the Clippers, the Cavaliers did not have enough.
Against the Clippers, Cleveland(10-13) trailed by three at the half but were outscored by 11 in the third quarter and would lose 121-99.
On Friday against the Bucks(14-8), Cleveland led by three at the half and trailed by five entering the fourth quarter. The Cavs would score only 16 points in the final quarter and would fall to Milwaukee 123-105.
Reigning-MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 34 points and 13 rebounds, while Cleveland’s Collin Sexton had a team-high 19 points.
The Bucks are a championship-caliber team, and Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff felt Milwaukee broke his team’s spirit.
“I think they broke our spirit,’ Bickerstaff said after the game. “That is what I saw more than anything. They made us pay for our mistakes, and they keep coming. They keep coming, and I thought we lost some of that determination in the fourth quarter.”
Cavs’ Cedi Osman, who scored 12 points off the bench, added: “I think there was one period in the fourth quarter. They took an offensive rebound; They made a three, and then, J.B(Bickerstaff) took a timeout, and it was a six-point game. It was only a six-point game, but our heads were down like we were down by 15. It was actually a two-possession game. We can’t do that. We have to keep our heads up.”
According to Bickerstaff, Cleveland has to do a better job of playing through mistakes.
“I thought we made some mistakes, and then, we put our heads down,” he said. “We’re learning and understanding. You watch them play. If you score on them, they get the ball out quickly, and they move on to the next possession. Simple thing for us, they score on us, the ball bounces, head down, and we play slowly out the gate.
“We have to in those moments be able to get through those. Short-term memory, move onto the next possession, and limit the mistakes down the stretch. That I thought bit us in the butt in the moment.”
Learning how to win consistently in the NBA is a process, and right now, Cleveland is going through the process of learning how to win. They will have an opportunity to work through that process on Saturday night in the second game of their two-game home set against Milwaukee.
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