On Wednesday Night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cleveland Cavaliers faced a big regular season test.
The top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks were in town, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo. Cleveland’s defense held the Bucks to 20 points and 39 percent shooting in the opening quarter.
Cleveland’s defense did a great job at containing everyone on the Bucks…except for Giannis, who scored 12 first quarter points and got Evan Mobley in early foul trouble.
The second quarter saw Cleveland’s defense ratchet up the intensity even further, as they forced eight Milwaukee turnovers and scored nine points off those turnovers.
Overall in the first half, the Cavaliers defense forced Milwaukee to cough up the ball 16 times for 17 points. The Wine and Gold also held the Bucks to 42 points and 39 percent shooting in the first half.
Giannis did much of the damage in the first half, scoring 21 points and getting to the foul line 11 times.
Cleveland, on the other hand, did a fine job holding onto the ball, committing just four first half turnovers and shooting 47 percent from the floor en route to an 18-point lead at the half.
Despite holding a substantial lead, the Bucks have owned Cleveland in the third quarter in their prior two meetings this season.
While Milwaukee shot 57 percent and scored 35 points in the third, Cleveland did not fold and shot 63 percent themselves in the quarter and maintained a 15-point lead going into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Milwaukee tightened up on the offensive end, committing just one turnover, and Giannis showed why is a perennial MVP candidate with 16 points in the final frame.
Cleveland shot just 33 percent in the fourth, but their defense got a couple of timely stops and they hit some clutch free throws to seal one of their biggest wins of the season.
As for the stud of the game, several players are worthy of that nomination so let’s see who it is.
Cavs stud: Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell will be the first to admit his first half performance against the Bucks last night was less than ideal.
The Cavaliers’ marquee offseason addition had a rough first half shooting the ball, as he was just 3-of-10 from the floor and tallied just 10 points.
However, coming out of halftime, Mitchell had a determined look. His play in the third quarter backed up that determined look, as he shot 5-of-7 from the floor, connected on a pair of three-pointers, and scored 15 points.
While Mitchell only shot 1-of-4 in the fourth quarter, he did an excellent job attacking the basket and drawing fouls, just like his counterpart Giannis did all game.
Mitchell was 9-of-9 on foul shots in the fourth quarter, and for the game was an incredible 15-of-16 from the free throw line.
Not only did Mitchell help the Cavaliers in the scoring column, but he also provided them with an emotional spark, especially with a late-game tie-up that prevented the Bucks from cutting further into their lead.
Games such as the one last night against Milwaukee highlight just how vital the presence of Mitchell is on the Cavaliers. To be honest, the Cavaliers most likely lose this game if Mitchell isn’t out there.
Mitchell has years of playoff experience, where the moments get tight, and a play has to be made. The Cavaliers sometimes tend to move too fast on offense and get careless with the basketball.
But the calming presence of Mitchell paid off last night, and the Cavaliers were able to seal the deal against the Bucks.
Not everyone had their best game last night against the Bucks, though.
Cavs dud: Evan Mobley
In just over one season, Evan Mobley has quickly grown into one of the fastest-rising stars in the NBA. His ability to contest and block shots on defense is incredible at such a young age.
Mobley is also developing a more versatile offensive game that is truly making him one of the game’s premier big men.
Last night against Milwaukee, though, wasn’t one of Mobley’s best showings. Mobley had to make an early trip to the bench less than three minutes into the first quarter due to early foul trouble from trying to guard Giannis.
Overall in the first half, Mobley was limited to under 10 minutes of playing time and had just one more point (4) than personal fouls (3).
Mobley scored just one basket in the third quarter, and for the fourth quarter, his only basket was a made free throw as he had to navigate playing with five fouls down the stretch.
While Mobley is quickly ascending up the ranks of NBA big men, Wednesday night, he got a dose of reality of what it’ll take to compete with the best of the best in the league.
Seeing what Mobley has done in his NBA career up to this point, he’ll surely use this game as a learning experience moving forward.
With the win last night, Cleveland moved to 16-2 in their home arena and now are tied with Milwaukee for the most wins in the league (22).
Cleveland continues their homestand Friday night against the Toronto Raptors, who the Cavaliers are looking to beat for the first time this season.