Led by Donovan Mitchell’s 32 points and Jarrett Allen’s double-double of 24 points and 14 rebounds, the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame the Milwaukee Bucks 112-100 during Friday’s NBA action. This victory, marking their ninth in the last ten games, avenged a previous 126-116 defeat in Milwaukee, halting their eight-game win streak.
In a pair of road games against the Bucks, Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff saw a prime opportunity to gear his team up for the playoffs. This preparation paid off as the Cavaliers demonstrated resilience and adaptability, key traits for postseason success.
“You want to prepare for it as if it’s a playoff game and use it as practice,” Bickerstaff said. “We still have young guys who haven’t played a ton of playoff basketball. We want to give them that experience. How we studied, how we prepared, what we did yesterday, what happened at shootaround, we wanted to use it as kind of a dry run for us, so to speak, for what a playoff game would look like.”
Despite his recent form, Giannis Antetokounmpo ended his triple-double run, contributing 22 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. The Bucks, who had just dismissed coach Adrian Griffin, operated under interim head coach Joe Prunty for these games. In a dramatic announcement during the game’s final minute, Doc Rivers was named Griffin’s permanent successor.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Damian Lillard scored 22 points for Milwaukee, and Brook Lopez added a double-double. The Bucks nearly rallied from a 16-point deficit in the final minutes, but Cleveland’s Caris LeVert hit a crucial three-pointer, securing the win for the Cavaliers.
Jarrett Allen acknowledged the team’s enhanced readiness and energy compared to their last encounter with the Bucks. Cleveland seized control with a decisive 14-0 run in the third quarter, disrupting Milwaukee’s offense for over six minutes.
“We felt like a step behind last game,” Allen said. “I don’t think we were ready to play when we did the tipped ball. Tonight we came out with energy that we believed we could play with (and) the defense that we’re supposed to play, too.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Bobby Portis attributed the loss to the team’s self-imposed challenges, noting a lack of fluid ball movement and overreliance on individual plays.
“It wasn’t them,” Portis said. “It was us. I think we slowed ourselves down. We were attacking matchups. We weren’t playing side to side. The ball wasn’t moving side to side. We played a lot of 1-on-1 tonight.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
After reducing a nine-point deficit to just one, Milwaukee succumbed to an 11-point run by Cleveland, who maintained their lead.
