Along with Miami, Cleveland is the hottest team in the Eastern Conference at the moment. The Cavs confirmed it last night by having the defending champion to offer themselves an eighth victory in their last nine outings and thus continue their magnificent season. It is also the second time in a row that the Ohio franchise has won by more than 15 points against the Bucks. But the first time, it was team C opposite…
However, they first had to let a small storm from Milwaukee pass. The Bucks started the game strong with a 6/7 behind the 3-point line (3/25 thereafter…), which allowed them to take the lead at the end of the first quarter (26-35 ). A short-lived domination as the Cavs will perform in turn behind the arc.
The locals thus scored 39 points in the second quarter to regain the lead at the break (65-57). They maintained this good momentum at the heart of a much more defensive second half. The Bucks struggling to score in the game, like their leader Giannis Antetokounmpo, let go as soon as they returned from the locker room, after a big recovery from the Cavs.
Cleveland thus offered a significant gap, oscillating between 15 and 20 units, which was maintained at the end of the third quarter (95-77), and until the end of the meeting.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Anti-Giannis Plan. The Cavs made a strong impression by limiting the Bucks to just 42 points in the second half. They achieved this by constantly harassing Giannis Antetokounmpo with many well-timed two-man strikes and a racket that tightened with each penetration. Lamar Stevens, for example, signaled his help with a big physical impact on the Greek. Ditto for Evan Mobley who twice countered Jrue Holiday in the circle.
– Big 3-point performance. The visitors had started off on a good footing, they finally finished with ten prize-winning baskets less than their opponents, authors of their second best performance of the year in this area. The Love – Osman pair made the difference in this sector.
– All the Cavs in the positive! Extremely rare statistics sheet for its “+/-” column: absolutely all Cleveland players had a positive impact on the score when they were in play. On the contrary, all of Mike Budenholzer’s training showed the opposite trend!
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Kevin Love and Cedi Osman. Their joint offensive rash was fatal to the Bucks. The two substitutes brought 48 points, mainly thanks to a solid long-distance address (11/23). The interior thus confirmed its current form while the Turk recalled that he was also capable of heat strokes.
✅ Darius Garland. Game full of control for the potential All-Star of the team. He shone with his game intelligence, repeatedly finding his inside Evan Mobley, thrown into orbit to dunk authoritatively on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s baseline. Hampered by his back in the second half, he was able to rest on the last nine minutes of the match where Rajon Rondo turned the team around.
✅ ⛔ Giannis Antetokounmpo. The stats sheet is still full but the Greek suffered a lot against the compact defense of the Cavs. In addition to a 3-point “airball” or a missed dunk, the double MVP has mostly lost seven balls along the way. He, who had missed the previous match due to knee pain, was limited to 29 minutes of play.
⛔ Jrue Holiday. While the Antetokounmpo – Portis – Middleton trio secured the mark, with at least 20 points each, the Bucks leader missed his meeting. In addition to not having hindered Darius Garland much in defense, he did not manage to finish near the circle where Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen were waiting for him.
THE CAVS ON THE PODIUM IN THE EAST!
” It’s not the Cleveland team we’ve known for the past few years. They have a great team and we have to respect them more. They are a playoff team and are fighting for the title themselves.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo does not think so well. With this reference victory, the Cavs have just passed the Bucks so but also the Nets to point to an unimaginable (at the start of the season) third place in the East. And their upcoming calendar should allow them to confirm (Pistons, Pelicans, Rockets, Hornets, Pacers, Spurs…).
THE FOLLOWING
Cavaliers (30-19) : trip to Detroit, Sunday.
Bucks (30-20) : reception of the Knicks, Friday.
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