Key: Bucking the Trend
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Coming off their first victory of the season – a convincing home win over the Pacers on Saturday night – the Cavaliers get right back on the road, traveling to Milwaukee for another Central Division matchup, taking on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks on Monday night.
On Saturday night, the Cavs capped a unique evening that both celebrated the start of their 50th season at the newly-renovated Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and honored the team’s longtime play-by-play man, Fred McLeod. On the floor, Cleveland dominated over the final three quarters – running out to a 20-point edge in the second period and barely looking back the rest of the way.
Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love each doubled-up for the second-straight game, Collin Sexton scored at least 16 points in his 19th straight outing and Jordan Clarkson rediscovered his inner-wolf, leading all reserves with 15 points.
After dropping the Rockets in Houston on opening night, Milwaukee fell to the Heat in overtime in their home opener – blowing a 21-point lead in the loss. The Bucks scored 126 points, but surrendered 131 to even their record at 1-1.
Milwaukee took three of four against the Wine & Gold last year – including both home meetings – part of their 14-2 record against the Central Division last season.
Key: Super Freaky
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If the Cavaliers hope to take their second straight, they’ll have to slow down the league’s reigning MVP – something neither of Milwaukee’s first two foes have done.
The Greek Freak picked up where he left off last season – becoming the first player in NBA history to notch at least 50 points, 30 rebounds and 20 assists through the first two games of the year. In Saturday night’s loss to Miami, Antetokounmpo finished one assist shy of becoming the first player since Magic Johnson in 1982 to start the season with two-straight triple-doubles.
Giannis suited up for two of the four meetings against Cleveland last year – and was his stellar self in both, averaging 35.0 points, 12.0 boards, 7.5 assists and 3.0 blocks while leading Milwaukee to wins in both appearances.
The Cavaliers will try to counter with a versatile frontline that’s been outstanding through the first two games.
Kevin Love barely missed a triple-double of his own on Saturday night – finishing with 21 points on just eight field goal attempts, adding a game-high-tying 13 boards and nine assists, his highest total as a Cavalier.
Tristan Thompson continued his excellent start – finishing with a team-high 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting (including his first career three-pointer after nine previous attempts), adding 13 rebounds and three blocks. The Wine & Gold are 11-3 all-time in games which Thompson nets at least 20 points and 10 boards.
Key: Guarded Optimism
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The Bucks get most of their production from a frontcourt that includes the Greek Freak, Khris Middleton and Brook (Splash Mountain) Lopez, who became the first player in league history to make more than 150 threes and block 150 shots in a season.
With Malcolm Brogdon – who went for 30 points on Saturday night – now starting for the Pacers, the Bucks go with a backcourt of Wesley Matthews and Eric Bledsoe.
Matthews has gotten off to a solid start, netting 14 points in each of the Bucks’ first two games. Bledsoe hasn’t found his rhythm yet, averaging 10.5 points and shooting just 35 percent from the floor.
Collin Sexton bounced back from a rough shooting night in the opener against Orlando, finishing with 18 points, five boards and three assists in Saturday’s win over Indy – his 25th straight game scoring double-figure in double-figures.
For Darius Garland, Saturday was his first game in double-figures – netting 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, adding four assists and a steal against the Pacers. Through the first two games of his career, Garland has canned four of his first nine three-point attempts.