Riding the momentum of a two-game winning streak and getting back Donovan Mitchell when hosting the Milwaukee Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers came out guns blazing. In the first half, the Bucks looked like a team eager to return home after a road trip, having never led and trailed by as many as 15 points against the Cavs.
The Cavs were hot on offense to open the game, but their typically lethal three-point attack didn't lead it. Instead, Cleveland's offensive attack was led by starting center Jarrett Allen. Whenever Milwaukee tried to land a blow on Cleveland's defense, it seemed like the Cavs found Allen for another bucket down low, hitting the Bucks right back with a counterpunch of their own.
Cavs lost game in second half
Unfortunately, for Cleveland, basketball is a game of two halves. The red-hot start and arguably Cleveland's best offensive performance weren't good enough, and Milwaukee was the team that came out swinging, never relenting. The Bucks came out energized in the third and fought back to take their own lead, quickly building up a 15-point advantage. Sure, the Cavs clawed and scrapped back to keep the game close, but it felt like Cleveland was running on fumes at points down the stretch, trying their best to stay afloat until the end. The Cavs ended up losing 119-111 to the Bucks.
Despite giving their best performance on either end of the court, it was clear that the Cavs' best still might not be good enough to hang with one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. For example, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 14 points in the first half, while Damian Lillard scored seven. Credit is due to head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his team for hitting the right pressure points to slow either player down.
Unfortunately, superstars find a way to thrive in adversity. Through a combination of aggressiveness and a friendly whistle, the Bucks duo put their foot on the throat of Cleveland's defense in the closing frames. Antetokoumpo finished the night with 34 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists and now leads the league in 30-15-5 performances. Meanwhile, Lillard had 31 points and four assists and scored 10 points in the final quarter alone. It helped that Lillard made all eleven of his free throw attempts in the second half. But, when it comes to hanging with the Eastern Conference's very best, it's clear that the Cavs still have a few things to figure out.
Cavs missing Darius Garland, Evan Mobley
A lot of internal correction won't happen until Darius Garland and Evan Mobley return to the court in early 2024. But, any other move can and will be made leading up to the annual NBA trade deadline, with Cleveland on the market to find another scoring threat on the perimeter that can soak up minutes as the team's reserve ball handler. The Cavs have the star power to hang with the Eastern Conference's best, but they still need to figure out how to get there. Thankfully, despite the frustrating end to things against the Bucks, the Cavs remain steady and even-keeled, shifting their focus ahead to their first opponent of 2024 and the team they can reset the oncourt vibe against, the Toronto Raptors.
“Sometimes that’s the nature of the game,” said Mitchell. “You can play great defense, but at the end of the day if the ball doesn’t go in, what are you going to do?”
“I’m not really upset with a lot of what we did,” he continued. “There were some calls that didn’t go our way. You could point to that, but I’m not really into making excuses. We just didn’t make shots. I feel like that’s what it was all about. . . They weren’t bad misses, they’re in and outs and things like that.”
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