The Cleveland Cavaliers went into Milwaukee to battle the world champion Bucks. However, what they got wasn’t the team that won a championship a year ago. Due to health and safety protocols, Milwaukee was without many of its key players, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, and Dante DiVincenzo.
Cleveland was impacted by health and safety protocols as they were without Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro.
However, the Cavs had more available talent, and it showed. Cleveland led 62-51 at halftime. The Cavaliers went on a 19-2 run in the third to take their largest lead of 30 and ultimately defeated the Bucks 119-90.
The Cavaliers(19-12) have won six straight and 10 of 12, while the Bucks(19-13) have dropped two straight and three out of their last four.
With the win, Cleveland is the third seed in the East.
The six-game winning streak for the Cavs is the longest current win streak in the NBA.
Here is the Great, the Not So Great, and the Bottom Line Cavs’ win over Milwaukee.
The Great for the Cavaliers:
Darius Garland was en Fuego Saturday night. He scored 12 of his 22 points in the first quarter. The third-year guard started the game 6/6 and finished 10/13 from the floor, including 2/4 from downtown. Garland also added six assists and four rebounds.
Cavs’ Bench: Cedi Osman had a team-high 23 points, including 5/9 from three-point range. Kevin Love had 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, and he made a little history as he passed Campy Russell for 10th place on Cleveland’s all-time scoring list; Ricky Rubio had a double-double with 15 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds. This was Rubio’s fourth double-double of the season, and he was a team-best plus-33. In total, the Cavs had 53 points off their bench.
First and Third Quarter: Cleveland outscored the Bucks by 27 points in those quarters. Cleveland shot 58% from the floor in the first quarter, including 6/13(46%) from downtown. The Cavaliers led 34-20 after one. In the third, the Cavaliers shot 50% from the field and used a 19-2 run to take complete control of the game. Cleveland outscored Milwaukee 31-18 in the quarter.
Defense: The Cavaliers held Milwaukee to 39% shooting and forced 17 turnovers, which led to 18 Cleveland points.
The Not So Great for the Cavaliers:
Nothing here to see today…
Bottom Line:
This would have been a bad loss for Cleveland. Milwaukee and the rest of the league are dealing with a severe COVID outbreak, and at this point, it appears the team with the least amount of players in health and protocols is the team that will win the game. Actually, it seems to be that way in all major sports leagues right now. However, give Cleveland credit. They handled their business Saturday night.
“It’s not just hero ball, everybody is contributing,” Garland said.
What’s Next:
Cleveland was expected to battle the Hawks in Atlanta on Sunday, but according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the game is expected to be postponed as the Cavs have five players in health and safety protocols.
Best of the Rest:
Jarrett Allen added 14 points and five rebounds as Cleveland had five players in double figures.
Jordan Nwora led the Bucks with a game-high 28 points.
Most wins by 10 points this season in NBA:
1. Golden State – 17
2. Utah – 15
3. CLEVELAND 14
Watch below as Garland and Osman react to win over Milwaukee:
