Cavs’ Georges Niang Is The First NBA Player To Ever Do This
On Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers extended their season-long winning streak to six games with a dominant 135-95 triumph over the Milwaukee Bucks.
A big reason why Cleveland’s offense was on a roll last night was because of a career performance off the bench from Georges Niang.
But this outing did not just make history for the veteran forward, nor the Cavaliers’ franchise. His game against the Bucks on January 17, 2023 is in an entire league of its own.
According to Stathead, Niang is the first player in NBA history to score at least 33 points on at least 92.8% shooting from the field off the bench in a single game.
“This was super cool for me, my teammates getting me involved and looking for me, especially after I started having a career night,” Niang said after last night’s contest. “That’s always appreciated, but I think all of us know this is way bigger than Georges Niang’s first 30-point night, believe me. It was just a huge win to catapult us forward because we have a lot of big games coming up in a tough stretch.”
Jan 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Georges Niang (20) celebrates after hitting a three point basket during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Wine and Gold are currently tied for the longest active winning streak in the NBA with the Utah Jazz. But Cleveland’s schedule will not be getting any easier.
The Cavaliers will begin a four-game road trip against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, who currently rank fourth in the league in points per game. Cleveland will then face the 22-19 Orlando Magic, followed by a back-to-back against Milwaukee, the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
After the road trip, the Wine and Gold will host the Los Angeles Clippers, whose 18-4 record since the beginning of December is the best in the NBA.
