Observations: Cavs Blowout Bucks
Two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference met up on Wednesday night. The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the Milwaukee Bucks and the wine and gold ran them straight off the floor with a 135-95 victory Here are some key observations that stuck out in this blowout win.
Aggressive Donovan Mitchell
The Cavs came out firing on all cylinders. Scratch that, Donovan Mitchell came out firing on all cylinders against the Bucks. Spida was ultra-aggressive in the first quarter and scored 14 points in the first 12 minutes.
He kept up this aggressive mentality through the rest of the night and finished the game with 31 points. Mitchell's hot start set the tone for the Cavaliers early on and helped Cleveland in their win.
Jan 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. (44) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Fast Pace Cavs
Cleveland plays at one of the slowest paces in the NBA. They aren't a team that typically looks to get out in transition, but that wasn't the case against the Bucks. The Cavs were running up and down the floor and Milwaukee couldn't keep up with them.
The Cavaliers scored 33 fastbreak points in the victory.
Georges Niang No Hesitation
Cleveland's bench has been huge over the last month and Georges Niang has been a big part of that. He showed his value off the bench scoring a career-high 33 points while shooting 92% (13-14) from the floor. Niang's 20 points in the first half are the most he's scored in a half in his career too.
Cavaliers Defense
A lot will be talked about the Cavs' stellar offense in this blowout win. However, their defense also deserves some recognition.
Milwaukee couldn't find any rhythm against the Cavs. Damian Lillard was 7-20 from the floor, Khris Middleton was 1-10, Brook Lopez shot 5-7, and Malik Beasly was 1-6. Sure, some of this may have been self-inflicted, but Cleveland still deserves credit for how tough they played them.
