Riding a four-game losing streak, the Cleveland Cavaliers went into Milwaukee looking to get back on the right track against the Bucks.
Unlike Sunday’s game, the Cavaliers didn’t fall behind early. In fact, Cleveland led for nearly the entire first quarter and were in front by as much as eight points.
Donovan Mitchell, who returned after missing Cleveland’s last game with an ankle injury, set the tone early with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
However, Cleveland again struggled to defend the three-point line as Milwaukee shot 7-of-12 from deep in the opening 12 minutes.
Cleveland held Giannis Antetokounmpo to two points in the first quarter but was hurt by Brook Lopez and Jordan Nwora, as those two guys combined for 21 points.
In the second quarter, the Cavaliers defended the three-point line much better, as the Bucks shot just 2-of-11 from deep. Cleveland also took a 10-point lead early in the quarter but couldn’t sustain their momentum as they would only shoot 40 percent in the 2nd quarter and went into the half down by a point.
Cleveland realistically lost this game in the third quarter, as they allowed the Bucks to go on a 25-8 run to lead 91-71 late in the quarter. Lopez contained his three-point barrage, hitting three more in this quarter.
Overall in the third, Cleveland shot just 29 percent, as Mitchell and Darius Garland combined to shoot 2-of-9. On the other hand, Milwaukee was 60 percent from the floor in the quarter.
Cleveland made a bit of a run early in the fourth quarter and cut the Bucks lead to nine points. However, that would be the closest the Cavaliers would get, as they shot just 37 percent from the floor over the final 12 minutes.
The Cavaliers did hold the Bucks to just 6-of-20 shooting in the fourth but couldn’t take advantage of those misses. With roughly five minutes to go, J.B. Bickerstaff waived the white flag and pulled his starters.
While the end result was not was Cleveland was looking for, let’s get onto tonight’s star of the game, well two stars, if you will.
The two Cavs studs: Garland and Evan Mobley
Off his 51-point game on Sunday, Darius Garland was out to help carry the Cavaliers offense again. Garland continued his torrid shooting in the first half, going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Overall, Garland went 5-of-9 from beyond the arc and tied Mitchell for the team lead with 23 points. With Mitchell on the floor last night, Garland was relieved of some of the scoring burden and was back to setting up teammates for easy looks.
Garland’s passing skill set has shown steady improvement over the past couple of seasons, and last night he dished out a team-high eight assists.
While Garland showed he can score in bunches, he is at his best when he is scoring and spreading the wealth around with his stellar court vision.
Evan Mobley also was impressive for stretches of last night’s game, as he was the Cavaliers main big man last night with Jarrett Allen still out of the lineup.
Mobley showed aggressiveness in the paint early on, which was a welcomed sight, especially against the likes of Giannis and Lopez. He finished around the rim and confidently took his jump and hook shots.
Overall, Mobley reached 20 points and was able to play solid defense and protect the paint as a helper. If Mobley can consistently be a threat on offense from multiple levels, Cleveland’s offense will be that much tougher to defend.
The two Cavs duds: Kevin Love and Cedi Osman, but the bench had a rough night overall
While Garland and Mitchell scored 23 points, and Mobley went for 20 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, the Cavaliers thrive best when they get contributions from their bench.
The impact from Kevin Love last night was minimal in the scoring column, as he only shot the ball three times and scored just five points.
Love’s transition to the bench last season was part of the Cavaliers resurgence then, and over the past four games, Love is just 9-of-29 shooting, including 7-of-20 from beyond the arc.
Cedi Osman also struggled against the Bucks last night. Osman scored just four points while on the floor for 13 minutes and attempted just two shots.
Osman is a streaky shooter but displayed a willingness to shoot the ball last season and did give the team a lift on a number of occasions then. For Cleveland’s offense to perform consistently at a high level, they need Osman to contribute more than four points.
In fact, in November, Osman has topped double-digits in just two of eight games.
While it is too early to panic, Love and Osman should be expected to get out of their slumps. It would also be nice to see Lamar Stevens get more run with the reserves. He is a proven plus-defender, can guard multiple positions, and has shown he can score.
However, suppose the Cavaliers are going to compete with the Eastern Conference’s elite, such as Milwaukee. In that case, they will need their bench to play a more significant scoring role to take pressure off Cleveland’s backcourt in the long run.
The Cavs will look to get back in the win column on Friday as they return home for a four-game homestand.