Cavs Get Statement Win Over The Bucks
Wednesday night's matchup between the Cavs and the Bucks was a showdown of the two best defenses in the NBA
Cleveland only allowed 20 points in the first quarter which is the third-lowest amount they've allowed in the opening quarter all season. They also forced eight Bucks turnovers in the first quarter as well.
The first two times that these teams matched up this season didn't go the Cavs way. In their first meeting, Milwaukee came away with a 113-98 victory. The second time was another blowout win for the Bucks with a final score of 117-102.
However those were both away games for the Cavs, and it was a different story with the game being in Cleveland.
The Cavs owned an 18-point lead heading into halftime and limited the team with the best record in the NBA to only 40 points. Cleveland's largest lead of the night was 24 points. However, the Bucks were able to come back and make it a six-point game with just over 30 seconds remaining.
Thankfully, the Cavs were able to hold off the comeback and come out with the 114-106 victory.
Watch the postgame press conference here:
A large part of this victory had to do with the incredible game that Jarrett Allen had on both ends of the floor. He finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Allen was also an efficient 8/10 from the field.
He also played solid defense on Giannis Antentokounmpo. Giannis did finish with 45 points, but sometimes points don't tell the full story. There were multiple plays where Antentokounmpo was forced to take an uncomfortable shot or had to kick the ball out to a teammate.
This led Allen to a 16 +/- which was the second-highest on the team.
Donovan Mitchell also helped lead the Cavs to a victory. Although, it took him a while to find his groove. In the first half, Mitchell was shooting .300 from the field and couldn't seem to buy a shot. But in the second half, he exploded for 26 points including a 15-point third quarter.
Even with the slow start, Mitchell never gave up on his aggressiveness which is part of what makes him such an impressive player.
This was overall a statement win for the Cavs. They were finally able to get a win over the team with the best record in the NBA. There's still a lot of improvement that the Cavs can make. One is their fourth-quarter woes that have allowed teams to climb back into games late.
The Cavs are back in action on Friday night as they look to get a win over the Toronto Raptors, another team they've struggled against on the road.
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