Cleveland Cavaliers forward Georges Niang must have known deer season doesn't end in Ohio until early February. If that were somehow the case, it would help explain what got into Niang in Cleveland's dominant 135-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, the team's sixth victory in a row.
In 27 minutes off the bench, a red-hot Niang led the Cavs in scoring with 33 points, making all but one of his 14 field goal attempts. That's right. Donovan Mitchell nor Jarrett Allen led Cleveland in scoring against Milwaukee.
Instead, Niang took advantage of the wide-open looks the Bucks were giving him all over the floor, allowing him to remain a consistent scoring threat every time he touched the ball.
Georges Niang's near-perfect night keeps Cavs surging
While Niang gave a perfect performance on the court for the Cavs, this blowout, the second largest in the franchise's history, indicates how Cleveland has functioned lately. Every win of this current streak for the Cavs has featured random standout, with Niang just being the latest Cleveland player to stand out for the Cavs.
The way Cleveland consistently has its role players leading the charge instead of stars like Mitchell and Allen is refreshing, especially amid the tandem 14-game absences of Darius Garland (jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee). The Cavs are 11-3 in that stretch, with only one game being remotely close to a blowout, a 123-104 home drubbing at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans before Christmas.
Since that loss to the Pelicans, Cleveland has been steadily building momentum, firing away from the perimeter while maintaining a team-centric approach. Considering how the Cavs started this season after disappearing against the New York Knicks in the playoffs last spring playoffs the season before, they appears primed to make more noise in the Eastern Conference come April and May.
With this win over the Bucks, the Cavs are now only two games out of third-place in the East and three wins from climbing to the second-best record in the league. Again, Cleveland has suddenly climbed the Eastern Conference ladder without Garland or Mobley. With so many players stepping up and showing out every night, once Garland and Mobley return to the floor, the Cavs could be a team no one wants to face, at home and on the road.
This type of reaction in the wake of such a dominant win over the Bucks, without Giannis Antetokounmpo, isn't hyperbole, mind you. Milwaukee still had Damian Lillard, among the most dangerous scorers and playmakers in the NBA.
Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff schemed up the perfect plan for Isaac Okoro to turn up the intensity on Lillard, keeping the Bucks from forming any sort of rhythm. It then took the Cavs applying their team-first approach on the offensive side of the ball to secure their first win over Milwaukee this season.
The idea that Cleveland is equipped to continue climbing up the standings given the run its on without Garland and Mobley isn't all that far-fetched. After dealing with early-season adversity, the Cavs have found their identity and are standing on the edge of being counted alongside the Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers as true Eastern Conference powers.
Niang spearheaded the Cavs' win on Wednesday, the same role Mitchell, Allen, Niang or even Caris LeVert or Sam Merrill could play going forward. No matter who it is, something became crystal clear in this victory: Cleveland has found its groove again.
Follow Us
Subscribe