Cavaliers slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks and prevail 112-100
The Milwaukee Bucks turned in one of their better defensive efforts of the season on Friday night but had one of their toughest on offense in losing 112-100 to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Fiserv Forum.
The Bucks (31-14) missed 11 straight shots and committed six turnovers in a nearly nine-minute stretch of the third quarter that saw a 63-57 lead turned to a 74-65 deficit.
"Obviously they're a good defensive team but we put a bit too much pressure on our guys," Bucks center Brook Lopez said. "We need to make it easier for them. I know I wasn't great tonight. I could have been much better. There's a lot areas that I personally could have been better tonight. I think I could've helped but I didn't get it done tonight."
Box score: Cavaliers 112, Bucks 100
Though trailing by nine typically isn’t an insurmountable lead for a team with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton.
But, the Cavaliers (27-16) came in with the league’s third-best scoring defense and fourth-best shooting defense and the Bucks just couldn’t find a way around, or over, that group in the last 14 minutes of the game.
Milwaukee got to within 104-95 when Antetokounmpo drew a foul on Dean Wade. But during his lengthy pre-free throw routine Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was able to view the call and challenge it – and got it overturned. The Bucks turned it over and the Cavaliers scored, pushing the lead to 106-95 with less than two minutes remaining to effectively seal the game. '
Lillard scored 22 points on 7 of 23 shooting, including a 2-for-10 mark from behind the three-point line. Middleton had 14 points on 5 of 16 shooting and Brook Lopez was 4-for-14 from the field for 11 points. Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 22 points to go with 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Bucks guard Malik Beasley, who is turning in one of the best three-point shooting seasons in franchise history, didn't get his first shot until less than two minutes were left.
"We slowed ourselves down," Bobby Portis said. "We're attacking matchups. We weren't playing side-to-side, ball wasn't moving side-to-side. We played a lot of one-on-one tonight. We were trying to attack the matchups, this and that, so I think we kind of just did it to ourselves tonight."
Cleveland was led by Donovan Mitchell’s 32 points and Jarret Allen’s double-double of 24 points and 14 rebounds.
Antetokounmpo and Middleton elected to not speak to the media after the game.
Cavaliers slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo
Before Friday’s game, Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the way his team defended Giannis Antetokounmpo in a loss on Wednesday was not ideal – largely because the MVP candidate not only scored 35 points on 24 shots, but also handed out 10 assists.
For Bickerstaff, he wants his team to pick its poison: Either Antetokounmpo scores and doesn’t play-make for others, or the other way around. And leading into the Friday’s game Bickerstaff said he wanted to see Antetokounmpo’s shot attempts come down with some tighter, more physical paint defense.
And his team did just that.
Antetokounmpo took just seven shots in the first half, but he made all of them and scored 17 points. Then he handed out six assists to help the Bucks take a 57-54 lead at the break.
But, he was also called for two fouls – including one offensive.
Antetokounmpo was just 1 for 4 in the third quarter for two points and was called for a second offensive foul. Then early in the fourth he picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in a span of 57 seconds – the latter of which was his third offensive foul.
He had to sit down until the 7-minute, 17- second mark, at which point the Bucks trailed 96-82. But even then the Bucks’ offensive rhythm had bene gone too long for it to matter.
It ended Antetokounmpo’s triple-double streak at two games.
Five numbers
8:47 Time between field goals for the Bucks in the third quarter. A Khris Middleton bucket at the 10:51 mark gave Milwaukee a 63-57 lead, but the team only managed two Damian Lillard free throws until Pat Connaughton hit a three-pointer with 2:04 to go. The Cavaliers went on a 17-2 run between those baskets to take a 74-65 lead.
10 Technical fouls this season on Bobby Portis, who picked one up in the first quarter. Houston’s Dillon Brooks leads the league with 11. A player receives a one-game suspension after getting 16 techs.
11 Different Bucks players to be hit with a technical foul this season after Damian Lillard was awarded his first in the second quarter. Only Robin Lopez, AJ Green, Pat Connaughton and Chris Livingston haven’t gotten a technical – though Lopez did get one in the preseason. Bucks players have been assessed a total of 32 technical fouls this season.
19 Games this season the Bucks have trailed by double-digits at some point, per ESPN radio. Milwaukee fell behind 87-77 early in the fourth quarter.
696 Games played in Milwaukee for Khris Middleton, which is third in franchise history. He passed Hall of Famer Sidney Moncrief with his start against Cleveland. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo (762) and Junior Bridgeman (711) have played more.
Is Doc Rivers the Milwaukee Bucks head coach?
Yes. He was officially hired in the fourth quarter of the game.
Joe Prunty coached his second straight game against the Cavaliers. He guided the team to a 126-116 victory Wednesday over the Cavaliers a day after Adrian Griffin was fired.
Rivers had two years remaining on his contract with the Philadelphia 76ers after being fired at the end of the last season and he also had a broadcast contract with ESPN.
It was the second time Prunty has served as an interim head coach with the Bucks, as he guided the team to a 21-16 record and a seven-game playoff loss to Boston at the end of the 2017-18 season following the dismissal of Jason Kidd.
He also went 2-0 as Atlanta's interim coach last season before the Hawks hired Quin Snyder following the dismissal of Nate McMillan.
Analysis: From broken schemes to shaken confidence, why the Milwaukee Bucks fired coach Adrian Griffin
When is Doc Rivers going to coach the Bucks?
Maybe Rivers has been around the Bucks the last few days, but in terms of coaching his first game, the earliest would be Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans, the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
The team leaves for Denver on Sunday, which is the start of a five-game, nine-day road trip that includes games with the defending champion Nuggets on Jan. 29. The trip includes Damian Lillard’s emotional homecoming in Portland (Jan. 31), a back-to-back against Kyrie Irving and Luca Dončić in Dallas then in Utah (Feb. 3-4) and concluding with a game against Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in Phoenix (Feb. 6).
The one obvious day there could be a potential practice for Rivers could be during the two days between the game against the Trail Blazers and Mavericks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo wins Bob Lanier Community Assist monthly award
The Bucks’ MVP candidate earned the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award in December for his efforts during the league’s five-week “Season of Giving” initiative in November and December. Following the Antetokounmpo’s annual diaper drive in October, the Antetokounmpo family served Thanksgiving dinner to men and provided clothing at Guest House Milwaukee. On Dec. 14 Antetokounmpo hosted Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee youths for a movie night and holiday shopping. Before a game on Dec. 16 he met with kids from Make-A-Wish Wisconsin. The Antetokounmpo family also hosted 300 foster families for a holiday party.
Antetokounmpo will receive the David Robinson Trophy before the Bucks game on Saturday for winning the award and the NBA will donate $10,000 to the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cavaliers slow down Giannis and the Bucks in a 112-100 victory
