Can The Cavaliers End Their Four-Game Losing Skid?

Game Day Report: Cleveland travels to Milwaukee to take on Bucks

Author:
Jon Rudder
Nov 16, 2022 2:50 PM EST

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What a difference a week can make.

Just seven days ago the Cleveland Cavaliers were 8-2 and in the midst of a five game road trip that took them through Los Angeles and San Francisco. After dominating the Pistons shorthanded and beating LeBron for just the second time, the Wine and Gold were the toast of the NBA.

Fast-forward to Wednesday evening and the Cavs are in Milwaukee looking to end a four-game losing skid and are looking to answer some key questions moving forward. It's the first of four matchups with the Bucks this season. They've won three-straight over Milwaukee by an average of 21 points.

Cleveland is coming off a tough loss to Minnesota at home, the first setback at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse this season. The Cavs trailed by 20 entering the 4th quarter but used a furious rally to cut it to a one-possession game late.

Darius Garland became just the fourth player in franchise history to record a 50-point game joining LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Walt Wesley. Twenty-seven of Garland's 51 points came in the fourth quarter as he quite literally shot the Cavs back into the game.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee enters Wednesday night after suffering just their third loss of the season at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks shot just 20-percent from deep

No JA Again

Jarrett Allen missed Sunday night's game against the Timberwolves with left ankle soreness and was officially ruled out with a non-covid related illness for Wednesday night's game against the Bucks.
The ankle is apparently still an issue because it was also listed on the official injury report.

On Sunday, Cavs' head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said they've tried to limit Allen's minutes in recent games and hoped that, by giving him the night off on Sunday, it would allow him four days to rest before a pivotal matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

In Allen's absence, Evan Mobley slides to center. Mobley scored just four points but pulled down 13 rebounds in the loss to the Timberwolves.

Allen ranks fourth in the NBA in rebounds per game this season (11.5 RPG) and T-4th in the NBA in double-doubles.

More Lamar Stevens?

With Allen, Dean Wade and Donovan Mitchell all on the shelf for Sunday's game, it forced Lamar Stevens into the starting lineup.

Stevens scored a season-high 15 PTS on 5-10 shooting from the field and pulled down six boards and registered a block. He played a season-high 30 minutes during his first start of the season. He scored ten or more points in 11 games last season,

Stevens could continue to see more action if he produces like he did Sunday, particularly if Isaac Okoro remains anemic to scoring. You can read more from Cavs Insider's Tommy Wild on whether Stevens deserves more playing time here.

Slow Down The Greek Freak

Giannis Antetokounmpo has scored 25 or more points in each of his last nine games after scoring a team-high 27 points in Monday’s game against Atlanta.

He’s only had a 25-point scoring streak reach 10 games six times in his career. Entering tonight’s game against the Cavaliers, Antetokounmpo is 7th in the NBA in scoring (31.3 ppg) and 3rd in rebounding (11.8 rpg).

He briefly appeared to suffer a foot injury in the second quarter. However, Antetokounmpo managed to finish the game and is expected to be in the lineup on Wednesday night.

Giannis has helped the Bucks to a league-best seven wins at home and Milwaukee's 10-3 record trails only the Celtics (11-3) for best record in the NBA.

Milestone Watch

Sunday night against the Timberwolves, Kevin Love made his 1,500th career three-pointer and is currently 42nd on the NBA's all-time three-pointers made list.

Love currently leads the Eastern Conference in plus-minus with a plus-103 and is tied for third in the NBA in three-pointers made while coming off the bench. He also ranks 5th in the Eastern Conference in points per game off the bench (12).

Kevin needs just three defensive rebounds to pass Zydrunas Ilgauskas (3,568) for 3rd on the Cavs all-time defensive rebounds list.